


Black and White Tiles

by noimportantt



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Genre: Gen, How Do I Tag, Post-Canon, Vague Everything, brief mention of Zelimpa, depressive tone
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:40:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 25,243
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24840193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noimportantt/pseuds/noimportantt
Summary: What are you supposed to do with something not tangible?
Relationships: Ghirahim/Link (Legend of Zelda), Groose/Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Karane/Pipit (Legend of Zelda)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 33





	Black and White Tiles

**Author's Note:**

> I don’t own The Legend of Zelda. 
> 
> And also, English is not my mother tongue, I’m very sorry.

“Why are you leaving again…?”

“It’s nothing in particular, please don’t worry.”

Link was mad.

He was also sad.

If Zelda’s eyes were following him or not, he couldn’t tell. He didn’t look behind.

It was not like he held a grudge against her, but he did. After all that happened, their relationship broke. Not in two, however, there were cracks. And Link felt them slowly cutting and biting.

He still loved her. He would still go through hell for her. And yet he wasn’t able to look in her eyes. Because every time he did, he could see his life. Everything. It was all planned, nothing seemed genuine anymore. It was to serve purpose. A smile, a nice word, a punch – Hylia was never one to let things flow on their own. That was something Link had to learn.

A strong dust of wind danced around him and he looked up from his boots for the first time. Link wasn’t able to recall how he came here in the first place, his feet moving on their own. The Birdstatue glowing faintly in front of him, his eyes drawn to the endless blue above.

He hated that colour.

With a swift motion the sailcloth unfurled over his head and he was gone.

The dry air swirled the dust and sand around him, his boots scratching the earth. Link was released when the air seemed to moisten and the dust to lessen.

“Hohoho! So the Hero still longs after the thrill! I am glad I get to see you so often, Link.”, the Thunder Dragon boomed, his laughter shaking the air.

Link smiled and simply nodded his ‘hello’. He liked Lanayru the most of all the Guardians.

“Hmmm~”, the Dragon mused, “The usual, if I may guess?”

Link flinched at the wording. It sounded like something he heard Pumm casually say to his customers, not even waiting for a response before filling up their plates.

He hated it.

However, Lanayru waited for a word of approval from Link. In the end pouring soup in a bowl and throwing someone head first into a battle weren’t the same.

Link wasn’t able to muster more than a nod – it didn’t matter.

* * *

“If ya keep bumping ya leg up and down like this there’ll be a hole in my kitchen floor tomorrow”, Henya scolded, swinging her cooking spoon at the culprit’s thigh and going on with her duty of filling the stomachs of the many knights.

“Ow…”, Link breathed, rubbing the spot where the spoon had connected. It wasn’t the first time the lunch lady admonished him for his fidgeting – ‘bees in his trousers’, or something along the lines, she once nagged.

He looked out the painted window. The sunrays, slipping through the colourful glass, kissed his skin and the warmth was pleasant and calming.

It made Link nervous.

His leg began bumping again and he looked around. Chatter filled the air as everyone was enjoying their meals, Link hadn’t even looked at his plate. _It probably isn’t hot anymore_ , he mused idly.

“If ya don’t eat anything today either, I’ll shove ya my delicious food down ya throat with m’own spoon!”, Henya shouted through the large room, waving her oversized spoon over her head and glaring at the blond boy. The chitchat stopped, heads shot up and it was dead silent for a brief moment.

One of the students cracked up a smile before calling: “Yeah! Hear what granny Henya tells you, Link!” And he started laughing followed by the rest of the trainees.

“Who do ya call _granny_ , ya brat?!”, the slap of a wooden spoon echoed in the air. “And ya!”, Henya turned to lock her dark eyes with blue ones, “Ya better start eating. I don’t wanna see ya as pale as y’are.” With that she just turned around and focused on her tasks. The observers of the situation began picking up their last talks and the room filled with life again. Link was happy that all the eyes were off of him and a little smile crept up his mouth. Henya was harsh but she really saw all the students as her grandchildren – if she wanted to admit it or not. If only for this gesture he wanted to eat.

The food smelled amazing, it reminded him of years of living there – a feeling so warm and cosy, he wanted to snuggle it. _I really should eat more often here_ , he thought, with the smile still on his lips, as his spoon found the way to his mouth.

It tasted like nothing.

He hated it.

The bumping increased.

His fingers started to tap on the surface of the table.

His eyes raced from the people in the hall to the window beside him.

He bit his lips.

Link was out of the Knight Academy and down the stairs faster than his thoughts could follow. He leapt over the nearest platform and took a deep breath as if he was holding it for who knows how long. He didn’t whistle for his bird immediately.

When the shrilling sound finally cut through the air, he felt a well-known softness underneath him. As the wind whipped around the Skyloftian’s hair and body, he realised that he didn't bother to put on his uniform.

He didn’t care.

The yellow beam of light came nearer. His bird knew it had to land down the clouds this time and let out a squawk. Loftwings weren’t especially fond of landing – or ground at all. Link patted the red plumage apologetically, knowing how uncomfortable it was for both.

After a fast landing and an even faster parting he watched the red slowly fade into blue.

It was only a short way to go and Link was lucky, not stumbling into anything dangerous without a weapon. The promising sweet air instantly brought relief – from what exactly, he couldn’t tell.

“Link! As I woke up this morning, I just felt in my bones that you would come!”, Lanayru cheered, his claws clapping together, creating little sparks. Link knew the dragon loved a good fight, he practically lived for it. So he had no doubt he would always be a welcome guest.

With a wave and a smile Link greeted the Guardian of the Desert.

“Coming to fight, I see. But what I am worried to see is this loose shirt of yours. Are you getting overconfident, Hero?”

Link’s eyes wandered down his frame, remembering his lost thoughts earlier. Now he had to deal with it – his skyloftian clothing not offering much of protection.

“I was in a hurry; I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry.”, he said quietly with a wry smile, not wanting to waist any more time.

“I am not the one you should apologise to. If you feel safe like this then we shall continue, but remember, I will not interfere.”, the Thunder Dragon repeated his rules with a light scolding tone, “Having said that, _why_ in fact have you been in a hurry, if I may ask?”

…why was he in a hurry again? Was he even in a hurry? Why did Lanayru ask such things? Why couldn’t he just fight already?

Link’s mouth tightened. He was supposed to answer; why didn’t he open it?

He was looking at the Guardian, brows furrowed, until he realised he hadn’t answered or said anything at all. The time was passing by and he wondered how long they stayed silent.

The loud Thunder Dragon finally pierced the silence with a quiet sigh: “You do not have to explain yourself, Hero. I was just curious.”, returning to his regular volume of voice he continued, “Sooo~ here for a fight, as I predicted, my best costumer!” He didn’t take rupees from the blue eyed Hero anymore, saying, seeing him fight was payment enough.

Link let out a sigh of release and stepped forward. Lanayru, not asking any more questions, prepared the simulation.

“Thank you.”, the Hero whispered, grateful that he didn’t have to say more.

He closed his eyes and soon everything around him started twisting. It always made him feel sick, the nausea reaching down his guts.

But everything vanished, when he felt his hand grip tightly around the handle of the Goddess Sword. The brightest of smiles played around Link’s lips. That was all he could ever wish for.

He opened his eyes.

* * *

The nights in Skyloft were calm – especially since Batreaux became human. Stars shined above the clouds, their glow reflecting in the swirling water. A soft breeze carried the smell of the more far away isles, the smell of bakery, soup and flowers. It felt like home.

Link hated it.

He used to love sleep – ooooh, more than anyone else – but the nights became longer and longer each day, the time seemed to slow down. Dreams and cosy softness weren’t his best friends anymore and sleep appeared to run a marathon away from him. He gave up chasing it, if it wanted to come, it came. However, Link didn’t welcome it all the time.

Sometimes he just wished to lay with a blank mind in the dark, not moving, not thinking, only breathing and existing. Letting reality fly by and not chasing after anything.

 _The darkness is nice…_ , he thought absentmindedly, _it’s..._

It became too much. Link had to force his eyes shut, not wanting to risk a battle with the abyss. He knew he would lose – he already did.

The hero started to fidget. His breath came out in uneven puffs und his legs didn’t want to calm down. No, he couldn’t open his eyes just yet! He couldn’t! _Calm down! Relax! There is nothing! And nobody is here! Why can’t you just fall asleep?_ Dark blond brows furrowed. _And sleep till noon…_ The fidgeting stopped. _Sleep in your class, that you nearly missed._ His breathing calmed down and Link could feel himself ease up. _If Zelda hasn’t woken you up in time… Then you would go eat and see Groose’s attempts at flirting with her. You would smile to yourself, because you’re happy._

His cheeks felt wet.

_But you know, that that isn’t real._

Opening his eyes now felt like a warm welcome, the darkness soft and deep, beckoning him slyly. Ruffled honey curls fell over blue sapphires. Link stretched before standing up, lingering a moment in the sweet embrace of something not tangible.

He wanted to go.

He wanted to go right now.

He had to.

Link’s eyes wandered out his window. It was probably past midnight. Maybe one or two o’clock. His Loftwing couldn’t fly him down – he still was in the preparation of his tests for the Night-Flying-Licence. If he was lucky he wouldn’t get caught. While still pondering his options, he changed into his tunic, readied his equipment and then took a deep breath.

Outside the brisk air blew around Link, caressing his hair. The mild weather allowed the stars to shine at their fullest. It was a beautiful night.

Link couldn’t care less.

He came up with a plan as he wandered across Skyloft – the residents fast asleep. Passing the Plaza and heading to the Waterfall. The green clad Hero jumped light-footedly across the stones, not minding the mass of water flowing down the dark precipice beside him. The faint tugging in his mind became clearer and he could finally sense his bird coming closer. Link was always proud of his connection with his Loftwing – being able to communicate without words was a luxury he cherished deep in his heart. So he smiled like a little child when he saw his partner approaching, as silent as possible. They greeted each other, sharing some brief moments of cuddling, before yellow eyes pierced through the dark. The stare Link received said everything he didn’t want to hear. He would not try to explain himself, he knew how it was. His Crimson Loftwing had all the right in the world to call him out like this.

A soft clicking was heard and a small light faded some of the darkness away. Link speculated if it was more secure to fly in the obscure safety of the night, but the bright stars and the moon would give him away, he knew that. And if they didn’t, then the three bright beacons would provide enough light. Thus, his solution was to pretend to be a qualified Knight, holding a small oil lamp in front of him, imitating the headlights of the Loftwing’s masks.

Flying the most direct and straight route possible, the yellow brightness came closer. Link was sure, it was too good to be true. However, his bird didn’t sense any other Loftwings and the Hero wasn’t able to make out any Knights in his vicinity. So the wind peacefully flew past them and Link relaxed, putting his head in his neck. The starry sky stretched out above him, hundreds of thousands of lights piercing the darkness and tinting the opaque endlessness in violet and blue tones.

Link wished it was black.

“Oi! Link?”

His blood ran cold.

“That is your Crimson Loftwing! You know you aren’t allowed to fly at night!”, the female voice behind him became louder and Link’s mind only reached that far – he threw his lamp behind him and spurred his bird to their usual reckless flying style.

“Hey!”, the Knight probably had to dodge the projectile, “Even if you’re the Hero you ca-“

Link couldn’t hear her anymore. The wind drowning every noise as it swished around them. His Loftwing let out a squawk as their destination came closer and closer. _This won’t be a fun dive_ , Link thought with a gulp. It was hard enough to navigate his landings without Fi at daylight, but in the night? He had never done this before. His mind raced back to the time where he messed up his descent in the Eldin Region and how he nearly singlehandedly jeopardised his whole journey. The dark blond wasn’t overconfident in his luck on this occasion.

Without further consideration he swung himself from his partner’s back and dived down the hole in the clouds.

He couldn’t see at all. It was hard to make out any shape and he wasn’t able to tell how long it was before he would hit the ground.

_You’ve done this so many times. You’ll feel it when the right moment comes._

The air teared at his clothes, biting at his skin and hair. Link had always loved the thrill of the descent, the adrenaline pulsing through his body. But now he wished for nothing more than solid ground under his feet – after a not potentially deadly fall.

Tears were gathering in his eyes and the boy became nervous.

His instincts rung wild and in less than a second his Sailcloth was slowing down his fall. The descent stopped faster than Link liked it and he cringed inwardly at how close the ground actually was. Howsoever, he lived. No broken bone, no bruise – success.

He also managed to land not too far away from the Lanayru Gorge; maybe an hour walk, or two. The stars and moon didn’t shine this bright down there like they did up in the sky. So Link needed some time to get a rough understanding of were exactly he had landed. Comparing his surroundings to his map, he went on. His current location should be somewhere in the western region of the Lanayru Desert, so he only had to go through the Caves and he would be there.

A heavy sigh heaved his shoulders. He shouldn’t have thrown the oil lamp away. Sometimes he was just plain stupid.

Sulking did nothing for him, so he just continued. If the Hero recalled correctly, there won’t be that much Monsters ahead of him and the caves produced a faint glow on their own – something about chemical reactions in the stone, Fi once told him.

_Fi._

He missed her.

More than anything.

_She had known what to do. It wouldn’t need to be like this._

Link’s thoughts came to a halt. He needed to jump on the rusty wagon in front of him and up the ledge. With a look to the right he made sure there were no Ampilus trying to sneak up on him in the dark. He gained momentum and hauled himself up – not the most elegant he had ever done this. Dust now sticking to his clothes, he reached to his left, where the coarse surface of the rock guided him.

Only a clawshot manoeuvre and the worst part was over. Except for the slowly drifting quicksand, the desert night was quiet – and cold. Link didn’t realise it till now, but he felt the humidity of his breath in front of him, sticking to his bangs and freezing. He never experienced such cold temperature and he at least expected them in a desert, where the hot air sometimes refused to move with dryness. A shiver started to spread out his limbs.

He really wished Fi was there.

To his surprise he didn’t need more than five tries to land his shot on the target and pull himself up the rock outcrop. The shivering did increase and it became hard for Link to walk properly. His teeth started to chatter. _Oh Goddess, please don’t let me die._ Link wasn’t even sure, if his body could endure such temperatures or if his fate was already sealed.

Nevertheless, he was grateful for this much trouble. His mind was preoccupied and the thoughts in his head were silent for once.

The cave opening laid far behind him and a faint greenish-yellow glow started to illuminate the darkness. It was pretty, it reminded him of the forests in Faron, when the light broke through the foliage. He loved the woods. It felt like a home he would never be able to inhabit. Like something that could have been, if…

_Yeah… if what?_

Link furrowed his brows. Not liking how his mind was unable to end this sentence. Now he was trapped in his head again.

He wanted to fight.

 _It will soothe my mind_ , Link told himself, convincing.

He shot his consciousness down. Whatever happened in his head now was none of his business. Link focused only on his body. The freezing temperature creeping up his spine, the sandy air crawling in his mouth and nose, the hard surface harsh against his feet.

Link trotted on. His eyes wandered up a circular cave, the night sky gleamed in through the cracked opening. A deep breath escaped his lips and his shivering limbs loosed up. It wasn’t long until he reached his destination.

His fingers started to twitch.

_I hope the Thunder Dragon won’t be mad that I come to fight this late._

He really wasn’t sure. Link’s mind began to race back and forth between possible outcomes. What was he supposed to do, if Lanayru send him away? He couldn’t get back to the sky, the Birdstatue didn’t work at night. So he would be trapped in the desert – in the freezing cold desert. Was he even able to survive this? Was he even able to survive this till he came to the Gorge? How could he not think about this? Should he just persist to fight and be rude to the always kind reptile elder? What if Lanayru would never want to see him again after this? Link sure couldn’t have this. He needed him. He was his only solution.

All the questions came to a halt, as Link stood in front of a rocky wall, only a little hole at the bottom allowing him to pass. He crouched down and squeezed himself through the rough, small opening.

Link was nearly there. He could even feel the temperature slowly becoming warmer.

He wasn’t this relieved in a long time – he wouldn’t have to freeze to death.

Only a short walk and he was in Lanayru Gorge.

A rumbling resounded in the air and Link stopped for a brief moment, before his mind clicked. The Thunder Dragon was, in fact, asleep. And the blond boy had the audacity to wake an ancient being for the always the same fight. He gulped.

The instant his boots connected with soft grass the air became pleasant. Like the nights in the woods – not warm per se, but not so cold that Link was afraid he wouldn’t see the next day. The snoring Dragon laying at the very cliff of the – probably – endless abyss, so fast asleep…

 _That_ made Link afraid he wouldn’t see the next day.

Hesitant he stayed at his tiny square and didn’t move. How was he even supposed to wake up a Dragon? Especially a Dragon that snored so loud that the earth shook with every breath.

“Hey! What are you doing here in the middle of the night, bzz?”

If Link hadn’t at least a tiny amount of dignity left, he would have jumped out of his skin and right in the Gorge.

Instead he startled and turned around, being thankful for the dark night obscuring his pale face.

It was one of the robots that worked all over the desert – before it became one, apparently.

“…do you have no manners? Bzzzz!”

“No... I mean yes! I mean… I’m sorry.”, Link stuttered. He knew they were machines and he knew they didn’t function like humans. But if Scrapper and Skipper had taught him anything, he knew better. They were a lot like sentient beings; with personalities and quirks. So every time Link deactivated a Timeshift Stone, he cringed inwardly. It felt like taking lives. 

“Well, you seem dumber than I have expected you to be. BZZ!”, the robot buzzed on.

Link wasn’t sure how to react, this particular one was… very Scrapper-like. So he stayed silent. And so did the robot.

Lanayru’s snoring was like thunder in the back of the heavy silence between them.

“…bzz… LD-Link-16.”

Link blinked a few times.

“Excuse me?”, he inquired silently.

“LD-Link-16. That is your name, correct? Bzz.”, the robot starred at him, waiting for a response.

Link blinked again: “Eh… no… YES! …but no.”

Why was he so incompetent?

“It’s just Link. Without the rest.”, he managed to answer, before the little robot could go on further with how stupid he was – he really felt like that.

“Just _Link_. Bzz.”, the machine paused, “This sounds stupid, bzzzzzzzz. I call you LD-Link-16, that’s at least halfway descent. Bz.”

Very, very Scrapper-like.

“So, LD-Link-16, you did not answer my question, bz. What do you want here in the middle of the night?”

“I… I want to fight, please.”, he said under his breath. Fidgeting with his hands, refusing to release his boots from his stare.

The robot looked at him for a – for Link’s taste way too long – moment, then it said:

“Do you not come here far too often, bzzz?”

This caught him off-guard. How often did he come here? It surely wasn’t more than some days a month.

“I don’t come here that often”, he defended himself with a small voice, “I just have to keep myself trained, that’s all.”

The robot stayed silent. Link couldn’t tell for the love of his life what was going on behind the buzzing machines head and it made him tense.

“If you think, that the same fight will keep you trained, then you do yours-bzzzz-but have some decency and keep it at proper times.”, came the snarky remark he well deserved. “And when I look at you, with your baggy pants,” – oh Scrapper – “you probably want me to wake the mighty Thunder Dragon up, am I right, bzzzzzzzz?”

Link nodded. He was so ashamed, but he nodded. He also apologized, but the robot didn’t take any of it and just rolled to the sleeping thunderstorm.

The robot had absolutely no regard whatsoever and tuned its microphones to the maximum they could muster:

“ALL MIGHTY THUNDER DRAGON. PLEASE WAKE UP, YOU HAVE A GUEST. BZZZZZCHRRRR.”

Link had to cover his sensible ears.

He was so ashamed.

The snoring stopped and a confused Dragon rose from the sleeping lands.

“What’s wrong?! A war?! Again?! I can’t take another one!”, his tremendous voice boomed over the Gorge, thunder erupting from the bottom and Link had to dodge one or two lazy lightning bolts. Lanayru was up in the sky and down again faster than he could follow. The dragon seeming to realize rather quick, that there was no manslaughter or genocide going on.

“You have a guest, bzzzz, mighty Thunder Dragon.”, the robot explained with its normal sound level and went back to its spot near the mine, shooting a last glare – were they even able to make one? – towards Link.

He was so ashamed.

After a deep breath Link trudged up to the Dragon.

“Huh? Link? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?”, Lanayru, still sounding a little bit sleep deprived, questioned with lazy eyes.

“Could I fight, please?”, he began, his silent voice carrying over the small distance, “I’m so very sorry for waking you up.” Link bowed his head in apologies.

“Well, my boy, Now that I am awake-“, a long, loud yawn interrupted his speech, “Excuse me, where was I? Ah yes, now that I am awake anyway, you can have a fight.”

Link didn’t understand how he could still be this kind to him.

…he was so ashamed.

If he didn’t need this fight so urgently, he would have inquired the Guardian’s decision. But the tribulations to come there in the first place were also way too high.

“I would like to ask you what opponent you desire, but I think the answer was clear from the beginning.”, Lanayru said idly, his eyes still fighting to stay open.

He was right.

Link hated it.

It made him feel so… like he felt the whole time.

And again Link could sense his mind shut down. Not thinking, just existing.

He saw the Thunder Dragon prepare the simulation and he braced himself for the horrible feeling of it.

After the nausea was gone and the sword he longed for in his hands, he finally opened his eyes. The circular room not even receiving a glimpse from blue sapphires. They went straight ahead.

Only to fall in the abyss again.

* * *

It was Link’s duty to map out everything. _Everything_.

Some would consider this the worst task of establishing the Surface for a new living environment. However, Link was very fond of his assignment. He had a lot of maps already, so the major areas ahead were all already done. It was more about exploring outside the main parts, documenting possible good regions for future villages – without getting too much in the way of the Water Dragon – and agriculture.

It was also a silent role.

He was alone. And he loved being alone. Peaceful silence and fresh air – he couldn’t ask for more. When he was assigned to help with the construction works it always made him nervous. So much was going on and there were so many conversations, it just wasn’t Link’s metier. It was more fitted for Groose. He had a talent for that kind of stuff and everybody had to agree with it. Also the attention would always shift to Link whenever he was around a group of people. To his adventure or his future, and he didn’t want to think about any of that. Some even happily announced a marriage between him and Zelda out of the blue – because it was destined to happen, the Goddess and her Chosen Hero. Not even over a year ago Link would have turned red like a Bokoblin, hoping in his silent mind for the promising future. But now. Now it seemed like a cruel joke. He would tell nobody, he just smiled and denied politely, his gaze always setting in the distance. It hurt him for Groose, if he was honest. It was no secret that the former bully had a crush on his best friend for over a decade or so now and he really wished that they both would finally find to another. But all that was ever talked about was Link. Link, the Chosen Hero of the Goddess, Hylia’s Prodigy, the Unbreakable Soul. And he always saw the glint in the amber eyes of his friend disappear while he worked on his constructions. A sting cutting through his chest and a tightening grip settling around his throat. He would then just go to the redhead and work silently beside him. Link didn’t know if that helped.

At least he tried to make up for it by taking over the cartography and being as far away as he could.

It was becoming late and even though Link didn’t mind sleeping outside – except for the desert – he wasn’t really prepared for the night and his limbs hurt. He had to wander far up a mountain today and it was more than exhausting. So he decided to head to the Sealed Temple, where also in close proximity the first structures of a future home began to take shape, and meet up with Zelda or her father to make his report. Gaepora functioned as the head organiser for supplies and the overall agenda while Zelda made the plans and used her Goddess-status to notarize contracts so the people, that did per se not want to go down on the Surface, still had no shortcomings and vice versa.

He was nearly there when he heard voices. They were coming from a little farther east and one of them definitely was Zelda, as he could make out. So Link began his walk in the direction.

As he came closer he could name the second voice – Groose.

“You think it is alright as it is?”

The tall boy was asking. Link could see them, but they couldn’t see him. He was behind some bushes.

“Of course I don’t!”

Was Zelda’s aggravated answer.

“But what shall I do? He won’t talk with me.”

 _Are they… are they talking about me?_ , Link thought, his eyebrows twitching.

“Maybe Link’s just still not over it all.”, Groose said while making a step towards Zelda.

_They’re talking about me._

Zelda heaved a heavy breath, before answering: “Groose, it’s been nearly one year. We’re finally making progress. Everything is working out, we live in no danger anymore.”, she looked down, “Are we making something wrong?”

Link expected an instant answer from Groose, a ‘No, of course not, Zelda’, but it never came. Somehow it struck him.

The redhead just took another step.

“What is it? I just want to know. If it’s because of me, I would change it!”

That caused a pang in his heart.

“But… he is still smiling. Not that often anymore, but can you blame him?”

Zelda shook her head, her bangs swinging with the movement.

“It’s not real.”

_It’s not real._

He hated that phrase.

A sob escaped her: “I don’t understand it. He was alright after everything was over. He laughed and smiled, genuinely! What went wrong? He was so happy… or wasn’t he? I just don’t understand it.”

Groose was again silent.

Link was still silent.

A small, bitter laugh cut through the air. The leaves rustling above them.

“Do you know where he is going all the time?”

“Eh… No?”, the tall boy seemed taken aback and so did Link. His heart beat twice the speed but also stopped every second completely.

“Hehe-“, Zelda shook her head again in, what appeared to be, disbelief, “He’s going to Lanayru, the Thunder Dragon in the desert.”

Link gulped, his palms sweaty.

“…and why would he go there?”

“To fight. Lanayru can create simulations of all the fights Link ever faced.”

His heart was pounding so hard and fast; he was afraid they would hear it.

“I… I don’t understand...”

“I went after him, once. I waited till he was done and then asked the Dragon about it. He’s only choosing one fight, every time.”, Zelda sniffed once, then twice. She had to take a shivering breath.

Groose wasn’t sure if he should comfort her or not, so he just took a third step forward.

And Link leapt in the opposite direction. Not wanting to hear anymore. If they caught on him eavesdropping then it shall be, he didn’t care.

He ran. He didn’t know where he was going, but he just wanted to make the most distance between him and his friends.

They weren’t supposed to know! They weren’t _allowed_ to know!

Link felt betrayed.

Betrayed beyond belief.

They couldn’t let him have his life – his happiness – and now they couldn’t let him have his…

_No._

Link’s consciousness shut down – it became second nature for him by now.

He didn’t know when he arrived, or where he was supposed to arrive, but he was there.

He was in the last chamber of the Skyview Temple.

Out of breath he leaned his body against the closed golden door behind him. The silence was a pleasure. But it was not right. This room was not intended to be silent.

He opened his eyes, letting them wander over the ornamented walls. After his journey he wasn’t in this circular room again – safe for the fights he had by Lanayru.

Link pushed himself from the door. His feet giving the directions he followed. He went from one dark reddish-brown spot on the wall to the next on the floor, flowing in the grace of dancing steps he ones took. His mind was pleasantly empty, caught in the trance of his partnerless dance, until he came to the biggest stain in the centre of the chamber, his private ball over.

He remembered the gash. It was right across his abdomen, the biggest scar he had. It was a clean cut. The mark that resulted from it was a beautiful scar. Not that scars were ugly or beautiful in the first place. However, this one… he felt fond of it.

His hand wandered up, stroking the dirty fabric where the tip of a sword once travelled.

It was not only the most beautiful scar he got, it was also one of the most private ones. Like a whispered secret – and since then he kept it as one. The dark blond had never shown it to anyone, always insisting on a shirt to cover his torso, cautious to not let it slip up. Even when all the other guys told him to take it off in the summertime workhours, soaking wet from his sweat.

He never did. It was his.

Link stared a little bit longer.

A chuckle escaped his lips. He lost so much blood.

_How was I even able to survive this?_

He laid down on his dried fluid.

_This cut hurt so much._

Blue eyes sparkled as he chuckled again.

Link stared at the ceiling. His breath was even and his heart was calm. But something was tugging at his mind. Wanting his attention, but nothing was there. And nothing would ever be there again.

So Link just closed his eyes, his breath the only sound that echoed in the large hall.

It was so calming.

He hated it.

* * *

“Do you need help with your maps? I do not have a lot of areas, you do not have yet, but I can still take a look or we split them up.”

Gorko wandered next to Link, caught up in some of his parchments. They were cross checking their works whenever they met – and because of the Skyloftian’s travelling that happened more often in the last months.

“Hmm…”, the honey blond pondered for a moment, “…I think you could help me with the surroundings of the Eldin Region. You’re probably more suited for it than I’m.”

They both shared a laughter. Link really liked the Goron. Because of the mapmaking they crossed each other’s paths quite often and a friendship bound between them and Link was so thankful for him and his help.

Gorko was not that much interested in his travels – except for the temples and their archaeological value – but was still in his personal wellbeing. Link didn’t know if it was their cultural differences, they were different species after all, or if the Goron’s personality was just calming for him.

“How is it going anyway, Link?”, Gorko asked, putting the parchments back in his bag.

“Well, I have the south of the woods mapped out so far and Faron allowed me some meddling in her territory. The west is also nearly done, only the east and north missing. They’re the biggest parts. The desert starts with a mountain range in the east, it’ll take some time to get that done. But Skipper helped me travel the west. Hah… I don’t like the desert. And Eldin… well… I ignored it the most time.”, a little laugh escaped him, he couldn’t remember when he talked that much the last time.

A hearty laugh erupted from the Goron next to him: “Well, this is good to hear. But that is not what I meant, little Brother. How are _you_ doing?”

“Oh.”

Link couldn’t answer instantly. How was he even? He didn’t think about it too often. Maybe he was fine. Yeah, he was probably fine.

“Fine, I guess.”, Link shrugged, his voice a tiny bit quieter now.

“Are you sure? You looked a little pale this morning. Were you up late?”

“Eh, no. I was… with Lanayru… the Thunder Dragon.”, he hoped the topic would end there, but at the same time wished Gorko would ask further – he could have lied after all.

“Ah, Lanayru, the Dragon that challenges travellers. Were you fighting one of his challenges?”, the Goron was now looking at the Skyloftian.

“Yes, I do that-“, his mind raced, “-quite often, actually…”

“Oh, really?”, Gorko was silent for a short moment. “Is there a reason why you keep doing it?”

“Yes.”

“…”, the Goron waited for a further explanation, but when none seemed to come out, he just moved on: “So, how is the Thunder Dragon? I was not able to meet him myself yet. And, let’s be honest, I am a little bit afraid of the challenge he would offer me.” A hearty laugh shook his rocky shoulders. Link giggled, too.

“He is very kind, I like him a lot and I’m very thankful that he still tolerates me there.”

“Why should he not? You are the best swordfighter alive, if I may say this.”

“Haha… yeah. You’re probably right…”, Link mused for a second, “But I think he won’t put up with me for much longer. He’s doing it for his own entertainment and I’m only offering him the same fight over and over. Even waking him up in the middle of the night for it.”

“What?!”, Gorko was shocked, “You woke up a _Dragon_? In the middle of the night? For a fight?”

Link blinked at his friend, not knowing what answer he expected, so he just nodded.

“Holy Hylia… You have some courage in your small body.”, a broad hand clasped around his shoulder. “So… why are you always choosing the same fight, if it is not too much of a personal question?”

The blond boy bit his lip. He wanted to tell it someone, but he couldn’t even explain it to himself in his head. Maybe if he just started…

“It’s… It was my first real fight down here. And it was the most skilful opponent I’ve ever faced. And it was the first time I ever felt like I could die if someone pleased like it. The first time I was ever really afraid for my life. And… it was the best fight I’ve ever had.”

Gorko was silent, he wanted for Link to make sure he was really done and the Hero appreciated that gesture.

“It was not our only fight, though. We fought another time in the Fire Sanctuary and a final time in the Sealed Grounds. But the first one…”

The silence stretched on for a long minute.

“I see.”, the Goron started finally, “And you think the Thunder Dragon will not let you choose this fight anymore?”

“I… I don’t know. It feels like it’ll come to an end, sooner or later. And I feel like the point, where the clock starts ticking, has already been passed.”, his silent voice didn’t carry farther than the others ear, but that made the relief Link felt not any smaller.

“Hmmmmm.”, Gorko hummed, his eyes closed, “Maybe I should pay the Thunder Dragon a visit and offer him a new challenger.” Link looked up. “Then he will have some new ‘entertainment’ and will let you fight the same old fight for a little bit longer perhaps.” His shoulders heaved with his gravel laugh.

Link laughed along. It was so nice to feel this light-hearted.

“Thank you so much.”, the blond finally said.

“That is what brothers are there for, my little friend.”, he stopped in his tracks and looked up the sky, “Hmm, it has become rather late.” He turned his head north, where the Eldin Volcano stood in the distance. “I wanted to meet up with Golo tomorrow evening.”

Link followed his gaze. “So this means ‘good bye’ for now.”, he said quietly with a wry smile on his lips, “Please be careful.” He looked up at the Goron.

“Yes, it does. But I am sure our paths cross again in no time.”, a deep chuckle escaped his lips. “And I hope you watch over yourself, too.” With a wholehearted clap on the small Skyloftian's shoulder Gorko made his way to the north, waving his good bye as he walked away.

Link did the same, still standing where they parted, and waited till he couldn’t see the Goron anymore. He stood there a little bit longer, just staring at the spot where Gorko disappeared between trees and bushes.

Now he was alone again.

Link went on the track he had chosen before leaving the makeshift camp at the future village. He didn’t only let the east and north of the woods untouched for so long, because they were the biggest parts. No, he expected something particular to be there. He anticipated it. It was not a question of _if_ , but of _when_ he would find it. And Link could feel it tugging in his chest.

He stumbled upon some old ruins, no actual buildings, only pillars or crumbling archways. More variations of trees and some birds he hadn’t seen before – Owlan and Horwell would love it there. And huge meadows, on some of which he rested for a brief moment. All in all, Link would consider this the most beautiful part of the woods.

It was really becoming late and there were only one or two – if he was very lucky – maybe three hours of sunlight left. He sighed. Perhaps there was no use in going on.

Link was about to turn around and go home, when his ears caught on something.

His hand shot up to the handle of his sword – another reason why he was in duty of the mapmaking: Monsters.

The trees rustled in the wind above his head, some leaves flying past him.

He waited. It was silent. Then the sound came back again.

This time, however, Link loosed his tense muscles and stood straight.

He knew what that was. It sounded like wind whistling around a sharp edge. And a sharp edge was nothing a forest produced naturally.

The small boy trudged through the bushes, soon coming to a crumbled archway with pillars lined up behind it on either side. A roof was atop of them, forming a passage leading to a huge doorway. Old, broken tiles, once arranged in ornaments, were overgrown with grass.

Link stood there. His mind was blank.

He heard his boots tap on the stone beneath him. Left and right from him he saw, what appeared to be, a front garden. At least it was one once. It made the impression to be left unattended for some years, maybe decades or even longer; trees growing over the gigantic building.

A Mansion.

Right in front of the enormous dark door, Link stopped. He starred at the wood, the air seeming to stand still, no birds chirping.

He didn’t need to open the door.

He turned around and went home.

Link hated it.

* * *

The wind blew past his bangs. He couldn’t see where he was flying, his head buried in red feathers.

This colour was so much more bearable.

Link was not able to recall when it had started, but at some point he just had looked up in the sky and hated the endless blue. It felt like a cage. He didn’t understand it, he felt so free in the past up in the clouds, drowned by azure. Now he preferred the green down in the forests or the white of – how was it called again? – _Snow_ , Zelda had told him once. But the colour he felt his eyes drawn to the most was red. The feathers of his Crimson Loftwing were beautiful. He loved them so much.

Link could sense that they were nearly there, his beloved partner told him that.

He was so not ready for it.

Link grumbled low in his throat, his Loftwing answering with a squawk. The air was not as biting as it was a few seconds ago, so their speed must have decreased. The Skyloftian groaned again, burying his head even deeper in the bright red. When every motion stopped completely and his position changed as well, Link knew his bird had landed. One final silent moan and the Loftwing wouldn’t take any more of the boy’s behaviour. With a shake of its body and some stomping, the young Hero couldn’t hold onto the plumage anymore and plumped down, laying on his back as he glared at the sky. A beak nudged his cheek, getting an even deeper grumbling as an answer. His Loftwing squawked one last time before flapping its wings and flying off in the vast sky.

Link really loved his bird, but sometimes…

“Oi! Link! What’re you doing down there?”, a male voice asked him.

A gust of wind forced the honey blond to shield his eyes from the dust.

“Don’t tell me you’re sleeping!”, a young woman reprimanded.

He knew who they were: Pipit and Karane.

They both came on Pipit’s Loftwing. Link sat finally up, smiling at them and waving.

“Hey, my friend, how are you?”, Pipit asked, while offering him a hand.

“I’m fine.”, he answered silently, grabbing the offered hand and letting him be pulled up, “What about you two?”

“Nah, I think we’re both pretty okay.”, Karane answered, slinging her arms around the older boy’s waist. They were wearing casual clothing. “I had not thought you to be the first here, to be honest.”, she chuckled.

“Me neither.”, Link giggled nervously.

_I wish, I wouldn’t have come at all._

“So, Fledge should be already inside by Kina. That means, that only Zelda and Groose aren’t here yet.”, Pipit stated, looking out in the sky.

“Shall we go inside?”, Karane inquired.

“No, I think they will come any moment.”, he bent down to give her a kiss on the forehead.

Link smiled to himself. He was really glad how happy both were together. However… the Hand in the Toilette did seem happy as well…

He lost himself in his thoughts again and didn’t realise that the last two missing members were arriving – a squawk shaking him awake. Zelda was wearing her pink dress, her hair loosely bound in her usual bangs – she looked beautiful. As soon as both landed, Groose stood next to Link’s best friend in an instant, helping her from her bird. Pipit and Karane greeted them first, the two girls hugging each other. When Zelda’s blue eyes connected with Link’s, he saw something behind them, he was sure. But she looked away to quickly for him to tell and the next time they locked gazes, it was gone. Link waved both of them and smiled. Groose strutted forward and grabbed him on both sides, patting one arm firmly. The blond smiled again. Zelda only waved back and continued to talk with the red haired girl.

It hurt Link, but at the same time he was thankful for her detachment. The incident in the woods was still scratching his skin.

The two pairs started walking to the entrance and the blond followed behind. Link didn’t even recall why he said yes to this gathering in the first place. It was probably because Fledge shyly asked and Pipit insisted and due to his inability of saying ‘no’.

Inside the Lumpy Pumpkin the atmosphere was warm and full of life. Music was played on a small stage and the people there laughed and ate and just had fun.

Link hated it.

The instant he sat foot in the doorway, his whole body tensed up.

“Hey! Over here!”, a female voice sounded from above, carrying over the tunes and chatter. It was Kina, waving from the second floor and bending over the balustrade. Link couldn’t make out what Fledge was saying, but it was probably something about Kina not leaning over the around six-metre-high railing.

Zelda and Karane waved and spurted to the stair. Followed by their male companions. Link wanted to walk up there as well, when he heard someone shout: “Heeey!”

The Skyloftian turned around.

His gaze locked with Pumm’s.

Pumm was glaring.

He brought his hand up to his face, two of his digits pointing at his eyes, then pointing at Link.

_It was one time!_

And he was sorry, really sorry. And he had worked to made up for his debts. And he even got a reward for it. _And_ the new chandelier was a lot prettier than the old one.

Link walked up the stairs with his head down.

_It was one time…_

He could already hear laughter and first conversations coming from the three girls. Link had to sit between Fledge and Pipit – not that he would mind – Karane and Zelda sitting next to each other and Groose between the blond girl and Kina.

“Daaaaaad~ Would you bring us some soup, pretty pleeeaaaase~?”, the dark haired girl had half of her body hanging over the ground again and Fledge was not amused.

“Sooooooo~”, Karane began cooing, “How did you two end up together?”

She was looking at Kina and Fledge, who tried to get the energetic girl on a chair, and both turned red – and the shy boy turned extra red.

“Well…”, Kina began, a little flustered, “I must admit, it was partially because of Link.”

Everybody looked at the blond boy.

“Be-because of me?”, he stuttered.

“Eh, yeah. Do you remember, when I complained about plowing the field? The first one you suggested for help was Fledge. And it kinda stuck in my head since then and when I flew over to the main isle I might have searched a lil bit for the boy named like that? Hehe! And well… one thing was leading up to the next and now”, she gestured with her hands and put her head on Fledge’s shoulder, “we’re together.”

“Oh.”, was all that left Link’s mouth. He had never thought that he would be responsible for their relationship. “I’m happy for you two.”, he finally added with a smile.

“Thank you.”, both said in sync and laughed.

“Now I wonder if Link has something to do with our relationship, too…”, Karane tipped her index finger on her chin, looking conspiratorially at her boyfriend.

Link coughed and his fingers seemed to be the most interesting thing he had ever seen.

“I’ll just take this as an ‘yes’.”, the red haired girl laughed.

The whole group joined, except for Link, who just turned red, but sooner or later he also cracked a laugh or two.

_Maybe this whole reunion wasn’t such a bad idea._

“Link?”, a small voice rang to his right, “I’ve wondered the whole time… why do you have your sword with you?”

Link paled, looking at Fledge. He could feel another pair of piercing eyes on him, he knew whom they belonged to.

“I’ve wondered myself the same! But I didn’t come to asking yet. You even have your Adventure Pouches buckled over your traditional belt.”, Pipit was not so discrete and if most of the circle hadn’t noticed, now they all had. 

“Oh. I didn’t even notice. Maybe I’m too used to this look by now.”, Karane giggled.

Kina seemed interested as well.

Zelda and Groose were silent. Their faces unreadable.

Link’s leg started bumping.

He didn’t look up, when he said: “It’s just in case, nothing more.”

Link didn’t even believe himself.

“Here? In the Lumpy Pumpkin?“, came the question from Karane.

“I think that’s what makes out a top pupil.”, Pipit’s head rose high, chest puffed out.

His girlfriend snorted: “If I hadn’t ripped it out of your hands, you had yours here, too!”

The model student’s head sank again. Kina and Karane laughed. Link was so, so grateful for the freckled boy’s overly correctness. Even though he knew two people weren’t convinced in the slightest.

“Kiinaaa! My darling! Do you wanna come down and help me with the bowls?”

“Coming!”

The daughter of the owner jumped to her feet and practically flew down the stairs.

“Aaaah! I’m so hungryyy!”, Karane stretched over the whole table.

“Me too.”, Zelda added whining, grabbing her belly and laying her head down as well.

“Do you guys wanna have a drink, too?”, Kina shouted from down below and Pipit and Groose bellowed: “Oh yes, please!” Clapping each other’s hands over the table and laughing.

“You guys are horrible.”, Karane sighed.

“Okay! I’ll bring a bottle!”

A few minutes later the table was set.

“So, y’all want a drink?”, Kina asked, the bottle filled with some booze cradled in her arms.

“I’ll pass, thank you.”, Link denied politely. He always felt like drinking should be only done when one was cheerful, or else it would become a bad habit.

“What? Link! Noooo!”, came Pipit’s cry, “We wanted to have some fun today.”

Link just smiled at his friend apologetically, still declining the offered liquor.

“Ehm… to be honest… I’d like to pass, too…”, Fledge squeaked insecure. Groose looked at him for a second, then said: “It’s probably for the better. You’d be wasted after one glass.” And he wasn’t wrong. They all knew Fledge was a sensible guy and didn’t want him to barf all over the place – or themselves – in the worst case.

“I think, I should decline as well…”, came the thoughtful response from Kina, “I’m at work, after all, and I think my dad wouldn’t be very happy seeing me drunk among the costumers”, she giggled.

The owner’s daughter went around the table, filling up glasses with skilled hands. Link looked through the round. If someone told him two years ago, that he would sit on one and the same table with Fledge and Groose – and the later would not punch both of them in the face with their own fists – he would have laughed that person right in the face. However, two years ago he had never believed he would hate the sky, his very home. And yet, he did…

Laughter erupted from the group. He must have missed something. He didn’t care.

But Zelda seemed to.

When their blue eyes locked, he could see so much in them. Link flinched under the intensity. He knew his best friend was a strong minded person, with her own head, and sometimes her glares could be destructive, but this one…

She looked so… disappointed in him.

Link couldn’t take any more of that, so he ducked his head down and looked at his bowl filled with soup. It was a really expensive one, he noticed, after having to work here for some time. The blond wasn’t really optimistic in some kind of taste and so it was no surprise when it tasted like less than nothing.

He hated it.

He hated this whole situation.

He wanted to go.

“Oh Goddess!!!”, Karane suddenly screamed out.

Everybody looked at her, startled.

“Did you hear-“, she coughed; she seemed to have swallowed some of the soup at her sudden inhale. Trying to get her composure back, she drank her whole glass of alcohol – now everybody was just starring at her. “Haaah~ okay. Now, again. Did you hear that Owlan and Horwell”, she made a dramatic pause, getting everybody’s attention completely, even Link’s, “are getting married?” Karane finished her news with a shriek.

“What?!”, they all said in a canon, except for Kina, who just blinked.

“So they really were together the whole time!”, Zelda shouted from her place, “I knew it! I told you all!” She turned to Link: “And you always thought they were brothers, you dingus!” Her index finger was pointed at him and his heart skipped a beat. That was the nearest they ever got to their old selves in months – maybe more. He couldn’t let this moment pass by.

“I-I was really sure… I mean… they really look alike…”, he forced a stutter, a smile playing around his lips and a silent laugh escaping him. “I mean, I’m happy for them, but are they sure they aren’t… you know… related…?”, he blushed.

This made everybody laugh – even Zelda couldn’t hold herself back.

“I hope they’re not!”, Pipit said between laughter, clapping on Link’s shoulder.

Only Kina seemed a bit lost, not really knowing what was going on. She never went to the Knight Academy, after all.

“Oh my”, Groose started, whipping a tear, “do you remember when we were, I don’t know, like, twelve or thirteen and the rumour went around, that they were the same person and when you see them at the same time you’ll die within twenty-four hours?”

“Oh yes! I remember!”, Pipit answered enthusiastically, “Fledge cried when he saw both of them in the halls and ran to his room, locking himself in and not coming out for three days straight. We had to remove the wooden walls from Link’s room to talk to him.” The brown haired Knight chuckled the whole time he told this story. Fledge was practically burning by now and had his head buried in his hands; Kina was repressing her laughs, while she stroked his back.

Link chuckled as well, trying to hold back, not wanting to embarrass his friend any more.

“You should not be laughing!”, Zelda scolded the blue eyed boy, her voice firm, “Whose hand did I need to hold, when a _special someone_ was too afraid to open his eyes while walking through the hallway?”

Link’s head lit up, the colour matching Fledge’s.

“What? Really? You’re such a shrimp, I can’t!”, Groose was holding his stomach by now.

“I’d never thought you’d fall for this bullshit, Link!”, the freckled boy to his left boxed his arm. Link rubbed the spot, smiling nonetheless.

A minute passed, everybody seemed to had calm down and their conversation could go on: “Anyway, I think it’s really nice they found to each other.”, Karane, who had started that topic, set an end to it. The group agreed. “And apropos, I’m glad that you two appear to have found to each other now, too. Who’d have guessed?”, she nudged Zelda’s shoulder with her own, winking at her and Groose. Now it was their turn to have their cheeks burn red. Both shared a fast glance, before the blond’s eyes shot up to Link, asking for some kind of approval, but her childhood friend was already smiling. So she spoke up:

“Yes… I think you’re right.”

It was an unusual shy response. And after everyone saw Link’s happiness, they said their congratulations.

Link was happy.

He really was, he wished it for them for a long time now. However, he felt lonely. It was strange. Link searched for the pleasure of being on his own, but now, surrounded by all those happy couples, he felt an emptiness in his chest. It wasn’t the first time he felt that, but it was the first time it was literally right in his face.

His hand stroked over his traditional belt, his scar hidden underneath it.

Link wanted to see Fi.

The thoughts in his head were racing again and this time it seemed impossible for him to shut them out. They told him things he tried not to listen to. Whispering him secrets he pretended he couldn’t hear. He wasn’t aware of his surroundings anymore.

A chair scraped over wooden floor.

“I think I will take my leave, please excuse me.”, Link said silently, his tone determined. “It was really fun; I hope you’ll have a nice evening.” He said his good bye and thanked Kina again for the soup – he hadn’t eaten.

Protests came from some of his friends, but it was to no avail.

As much as he wanted to jump right from the cliff outside the tavern, he headed to the backdoor. Link wanted to check on Guld, they haven’t seen each other in a long time – and if he was honest, he was afraid he might be dead. To his luck, the old Mogma was lying on his back, limbs stretched from him, in the middle of the pumpkins, snoring like the Thunder Dragon. It wasn’t that late, but Link thought the age might not consider such trivial things. He stood there, a little smile spreading across his face.

He heard a click behind him and Link turned around.

Zelda was now standing in the field. Looking at him, soft features rounding her face, the sunrays kissing every hair.

She walked over to him.

When she stood right in front of him, her arms slung around his neck.

Link, taken aback at first, returned the gesture and hugged his friend back. Maybe they could work things out after all.

It was a nice embrace. They stood there a long time. Link had missed those little gestures of fondness between them and relished in every second of it now.

As they finally parted, Zelda just smiled at him, before heading back in.

The Skyloftian’s eyes followed her, lingering on the door for a minute. Then he ran off the edge and whistled for his bird.

He landed right in the Gorge, his blue sapphires watery from the strong wind and the swirling sand. The robot, he had once an awkward conversation with, didn’t mind him at all, going after its work. It did so most of the time, it was seldom that it talked to Link – well, and Link did even rarer start a chat in general.

“Hello.”, Link said silently and bowed his head when he stood in front of Lanayru.

“Oh, hello, Link.”

He couldn’t pinpoint it, but something appeared to be off.

“…”

_Something is off._

The Dragon was never that silent, he started with a predictable question, the answer was always the same, but that didn’t change the scheme they developed over the time.

Link’s brows furrowed. He didn’t want to say anything regarding the strange manner of the Guardian, so he kept silent for a bit longer, waiting for something to happen. However, it never came.

“…am I allowed to fight, Lanayru?”

The wording was odd. Link felt it was the right choice.

No response from the Dragon.

“Am I allowed to fight?”, his voice had a demanding undertone. He thought, he might already know the answer.

“…Link, I am sorry… but-“

“Why?”

It was basically a hiss. Link never experienced himself becoming that angry in one blink – except for one time.

“Link.” How often did he plan on repeating his name? “I cannot let you fight any more.”

“Why?”

Lanayru swallowed hard.

“It is not healthy for you, Link.”

The boy only kept on glaring.

“I have held word with the Goddess and she-“

“Zelda?”, Link was shocked.

“…yes. Zelda has told me how much you have changed. I noticed it as well, my boy.”

The time seemed to stop. Link couldn’t believe what he just had heard. Blood rushed in his head.

Why?

_Why?_

“Why?!”

He was probably screaming.

“Please, calm down, Link. We just want the best for you.”

The best?

_The best for me or the best for them?!_

He trembled.

“It might be better if you go home, Hero.”

“Don’t call me that!”, he didn’t even know his voice could reach such volumes, “Don’t call me by that! Just stop it! I never wanted to fill that role! I never wanted anything that happened! Why can’t you let me live my life?! You didn’t care about my wellbeing when I was the pawn of the Goddess! Why starting now? Because it’s against the destined path?! Because it fills a hole all of you ripped open in me?!” Link’s shoulders heaved, his breath agitated. The frown on his face became a grimace.

“It might be better if you go home.”

Link’s shoulders slumped down, his glance incredulous.

“…I saved your life…”, his voice was the usual droplet on a hot stone again.

The Thunder Dragon didn’t falter, however, his expression was pained.

Link just stared at him. His mind buzzing with thoughts, blank at the same time. His head didn’t function anymore, so his body moved on its own. Green clad legs walked to the Birdstatue. The familiar gust of wind dancing around him. His eyes looked up. The endless sky stretched above him, the vast blue welcoming him.

Link hated it.

* * *

“You know what Gorko told me today?”, a tiny voice asked, waiting for a moment, “He told me that Gorons are all male and that they’re all born from the Eldin Volcano, they call it Death Mountain though. But you probably already knew that.”

Link’s laugher chimed through the large hall. He sat cross-legged in front of the Master Sword.

“We saw each other this morning again. We really became good friends. The mapmaking is also going well, at the earliest I’ll be completely done in five years, I assume, and if I keep up the pace, what I doubt more and more…”

Silence.

“I’d like to say I’m doing good as well, but that’d be a lie and I know you can sense those.”

Laughter echoed from walls.

“You know… it’s really hard without you.”, his fingers touched the flat side of the elegant blade, “Sometimes I wish, I had fallen asleep with you together…”

Silence.

“I’m no longer needed.”

Silence.

“Ah! Have I told you that Zelda and Groose are now a couple? They’re finally together, took them long enough.”

Link snickered again.

Silence.

He bit his bottom lip.

“I’m not allowed to fight with Lanayru anymore, Fi.”

The sentence rushed out of his mouth.

“Zelda talked with Lanayru… I don’t know what I’m supposed to do now…”

Silence.

“Do you think he’ll let me fight again, someday?”

Silence.

“I can’t just move one… There’s nothing to move on from. Why does nobody understand what I want?”

Silence.

“…do you know what’s wrong with me?”

Silence.

Link didn’t even know, what an answer he expected in the first place.

“I regret a lot.”

Silence.

_There’ll never be a chime and an answer again._

“I miss you, Fi.”

Link’s voice was nothing more than a whisper. A hush in the abyss.

“I’ll go now, Fi. I hope you aren’t too disappointed, but I have somewhere to go.”

He stood up and dusted his pants and tunic off.

“We’ll talk again, probably tomorrow.”

The Hero laid his right hand on the sword handle.

“See you.”

And with a last smile he went for the eastern entrance.

The door creaked and the brisk morning air drifted around him. He had the whole day for his journey, if he was quick, he would be there before the sun set, but likely not back at the Sealed Temple before nightfall. Well, he could think about it when the time had come.

Link walked through the woods, the familiar surroundings guiding him further without much thought. A rustling shifted the bush next to him.

“Kweeeeee.”

“Hello.”, came Link’s quiet response.

The little forest creature drew its leaves back in. It wiggled its body again before it stood up, stumbling some little steps and trying to remain its balance. He probably woke up the Kikwi.

“Kooooo…”, the sound coming a touch sleepy from the small snout, “…hello…”, tiny paws rubbed the furry face, “Good morning, Mister Hero.”, was the final greeting.

It was Machi. The first Kikwi Link had encountered on his quest.

There was a moment of silence between them before the modest creature picked up the word again: “Where are you going so early, Mister Hero?”

 _Mister Hero_ – Machi had started calling him that after Link finished his journey, hearing what he had done for all of them. Link didn’t mind – to his own surprise – he found it kind of endearing, if he was honest. He had a soft spot for the Kikwis – and for Machi maybe an especially soft one.

“I’ve got somewhere to be today.”, he answered in his quiet voice.

“Oh! Are you meeting up with someone?”, Machi looked up curiously.

“…no.”, his voice dropping even more in volume, no more than a whisper.

Link’s feet started to move, only slowly so the Kikwi could follow him if he pleased. Which he did.

“Oh… So… where are you going, kweeeee?”

“I’m mapping out the area in the north-east.”, he half-lied.

“Oh!”, the tiny creature seemed shocked, “B-but it’s dangerous there! Koooo-kee!”

“It is?”, now Link was curious. He hadn’t encountered any Monsters the last time he was there, however, he had a feeling about what exactly Machi meant.

They went deeper into the Faron Woods, the crown of the Great Tree already coming in sight.

“Yes! Yes! Kweee! It was an area, where Demise’s Forces lingered back at the time of the war, the Elder once told me. I was never there! And I’m too afraid to ever go there! The wind there… it… it whispers…”

“It… whispers?”

Machi rustled the leafs on his back: “Yes, it does. Some Kikwis, that went too close, said they heard voices! Some even heard laughter! Keeeeeeeeee!”

Okay. Link expected the first half. But now…

“I-I don’t understand…”, he began, trailing of.

“Me neither! Kwee. But the Elder told us, there lays a secret forest. Deep, deep in the woods, where spirits live and souls get lost. And sometimes, when you listen closely enough, you can hear them, their voices carrying over the distance, koooo.” The Kikwi pondered for a while – leaving the shudder on Link’s back enough time to travel down – then he added: “And then… there was also always this… demonic aura, kweee…”

Blond eyebrows started to twitch.

“Demonic aura?”, he inquired, feigning unknowingness.

“Yes. Kee-koo. I also felt it a lot in the Faron Woods, but always avoided it, running away or hiding, and prayed to the Water Dragon. Keeee, however, it’s gone now. I don’t have to be afraid anymore!”, Machi ended his speech with a happy hop.

“Yeah… you don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

They continued their walk in silence. The sun had risen high the time they reached the Great Tree, not quite at its zenith yet.

“Kweeeeeeeeee, I guess, I’ll leave you here, Mister Hero.”, Machi stopped by a root, “It was really nice talking to you again, keee. Please, be careful.”

“Thank you, for your company and your advice, I’ll try to be extra careful now.”, Link said with a smile and waved his goodbye.

The modest Kikwi waved back, but stopped when he called to the young man: “Ah! Kwee! Please inform me or the Elder or any Kikwi, you encounter, when you’re back safe!”

Link blushed a little, the solicitude coming from the fearful creature stinging right through his heart. He nodded his head and waved a bit harder, before he turned around and continued his way.

Link wasn’t afraid, no… Maybe a bit. But the last time everything was fine, right? Maybe these were just Kikwi-Horror-Stories, like the Knights had theirs back in Skyloft.

…

Who was he kidding.

Kikwis were afraid of their own shadow, they probably loved a good thrill around a fire. Not.

Link let out a sigh. He was nearly out of the known area of the Faron Woods.

 _Nothing is going to happen_ , he told himself in a convincing tone, _nothing was there the last time, nothing will be there this time. You didn’t die in the cold desert, you sure as heck don’t die in the forest. You survived much harder tasks. Nothing can be scarier than the Silent Realms. Nothing can be scarier than a Guardian. And absolutely nothing can be scarier than watching Gaepora taking a bath in the middle of the night._

Link’s body shook.

He wondered how he would look in his old age. Would he lose his hair? Gain some weight? Probably not if he kept eating like that – or not eating at all. Would he still be a Knight? Or would he become a tutor? Link usually didn’t think about that stuff. He didn’t want to. But now he really was curious.

 _Where will I live? Shall I stay up in the sky? This doesn’t feel right. But down here… It’s not right either. Not as it is now, at least. But what should change?_ A familiar feeling sneaked in his head. _Will Zelda and Groose marry? Will they have a family on the surface? Will Zelda be happy? I hope she will._

_…_

_Will I find someone?_

Link felt his consciousness wanting to shut down again.

_No._

It was a command.

_Will I get to spend my life with someone? Will I be happy? What is holding me back? What is hindering me?_

The wind rustled the leafs over his head.

_Do I not deserve it, too?_

Link didn’t realise how far he went into the foreign territory, only now coming to a halt. His bangs obscured his view, his head hanging down, his eyes glued to his boots.

He took a deep breath.

There was no use in asking questions he knew the answer to.

The best thing now to do was getting a proper understanding of his surroundings. He didn’t have a map, yet, he wasn’t doing one now, he was sure he would recall everything from memory. He did. That’s at least what he thought. But after Machi’s story… maybe he felt lost. He wasn’t! No, he was sure about that. He just needed to focus.

There was something like a path – not really – that he followed the first time. The trees lined up somehow, he couldn’t describe it. It had felt right and now it felt right, too, but it also felt wrong, so it was right.

Yes.

Link was a smart boy – really – but on his own conditions. He wasn’t the smartest in class and more than often failed some tests or copied Zelda’s notes and squeezed himself through school every way he could – which needed some intelligence on its own. However, if his interest was picked he could outshine everyone. It rarely was.

He took another deep, deep breath. Holding it for a second.

His legs chose the direction and Link followed. It was easy after all. He remembered the trees he passed by and some birds, he hadn’t seen in the Faron Woods before, felt familiar. It was a nice day. The birds sang foreign melodies and lulled Link in a daydream of lush green and brisk air. He wandered along streams, rested for some minutes and splashed water in his face. The Hero wasn’t exhausted yet and it surprised him – maybe he was used to the wandering by now. He hadn’t felt this calm in a long time, a smile sneaking its way up to his lips.

“…come…”

_What?_

Link’s face paled. His heart beating in his ears.

Silence.

Was he imagining things now?

Silence.

There was nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

The birds had stopped singing.

Goosebumps spread over Link’s body.

His ears searched for something – anything.

His body stiff.

“…when…”

There! He didn’t hallucinate!

…he didn’t hallucinate…

The lump in Link’s throat grew.

_What shall I do? What shall I do?_

_Should I just keep on going? It’s just the wind, isn’t it? Maybe they’re spirits, maybe they’re lost souls. But they can’t do anything, right? Yes, that’s right. It’s just the wind. Just wind. Just keep moving._

Link started moving again. Not paying attention to the silence, not paying attention to the voices – no, to the wind, no attention to the wind. His footsteps the only sound. Rustling the bushes, he passed by. Trying to make as much noise as possible.

“…we…you…”

Link didn’t hear anything.

“…see…”

No, nothing at all.

“…someday…”

The Skyloftian stopped in his tracks.

It felt like the wind was repeating itself. There was a message. It wouldn’t stop until he listened to it – that was at least what his stomach told him.

So he closed his eyes, tried to catch his breath and perked up his ears.

The wind carried nothing. He didn’t know how long he stood there, but he wouldn’t move until he heard it again.

His stubbornness was paying off and the wind returned, carrying the voices with it.

“…when…will you…come…”

_When will you come?_

The leafs over his head rustled again.

“…will…we…see you…someday…”

_Will we see you someday?_

“Soon.”

What? Was that his voice?

“I promise.”

Childlike laughter danced through the air, the wind picking up in force.

The canopy of the trees shook with the strong dust, the laughter increasing in volume.

It was reaching an unbearable loudness.

Link had to cover his ears, the sound hurtful.

Then it stopped.

Letting the drowned sounds of the nature return und the wind carrying nothing but the fresh air and leafs on its way.

The hands of the young man stayed in place. He wasn’t able to move.

_What was that?! What- Why did I answer? Why did I have an answer? Was that me speaking?_

Link’s head was spinning.

Pictures flashed before his eyes – memories? – he didn’t recall. There were children, he guessed. There was a lot of green. There were lights. A huge tree. Laughter and pain.

And a melody.

His Harp! Where was his Harp?

He needed to play it! It was fleeting already!

Link rummaged about in his Adventure Pouches, finally getting a grip of his instrument.

He held it ready in his arm, his fingers ghosting over the strings.

…

No tunes echoed through the woods.

Link’s face was blank.

As was his mind.

It was like the melody never existed in the first place.

Even though he panicked over losing the tune a few seconds ago, it didn’t feel like a loss now, it didn’t hurt.

He would hear it again.

Someday.

He knew that. 

Link slumped down. His whole energy felt drained from his body and mind. He felt like he could sleep for one hundred years – erasing his memory from every pain he ever experienced. Oh, how hard he wished for that. Living a new life. He was so exhausted.

A light snicker left his mouth.

_And I didn’t even arrive at my destination yet._

It was getting late, Link didn’t notice it at first, but the sun was already starting to descend. He was not sure, how long it took for him to gather himself and stand up and start walking again, but he seemed to have lost time. Precious time. Because he was lost. Not for direction! No, for ideas. Because what was he supposed to do? He wouldn’t make it back now for sure. At least before nightfall. And he, by the love of Hylia and the three mighty Goddesses, would never take the route back in the dark!

He really needed to inform Machi when he was back – hopefully – safe. 

Link’s senses began to tickle. He could feel it. It wasn’t long until he arrived.

And as if he called it, weathered constructions started to line up his way. Only few at first all some hundred metres, then the forest appeared to structure itself. The trees started to seem planted purposefully, patterns recognisable.

And then he found his way to the archway, leading to the dark wooden door, that had burned its image into his mind. Link was hesitant. However, if he was honest, he didn’t have really much of a choice. The sun too low for an uncomplicated way back.

He let out a breath – more like a sigh.

This shouldn’t feel like a safe heaven. But after the incident today, he just wanted to get out of the woods – or inside a Mansion apparently.

His fingers glided over the old, rough material. It was cold. The force of his full body against the gate was necessary to push it open. An almost icy wind smashed against Link’s face, his hair flying behind and his hat nearly away. He had to close his eyes, tears forming in the corner. If the Skyloftian had used his rationality for a description of the feeling, he would have called it _hostile_ – but he didn’t do that. So he just marched in, closing the door with a final clang.

It was dark.

It was very dark.

Link wasn’t able to make out anything else than the hand right in front of his face. After his eyes had adjusted, the darkness was far more bearable. He turned to his left and right, confused, since windows lined up the wall he entered through, it shouldn’t be that dim in there. The blond boy stood in a corridor – a huge corridor. A long and huge corridor. Which was dark, very dark. Pitch black at the end – if there was an end.

Link gulped.

He could make out a door far away from the main one, leading to the left. Well, what was he supposed to do other than giving it a try.

Link didn’t move.

The air around him was stiff. The hairs on his neck standing on end. His limbs started to tremble.

Maybe the way back in the obscurity of the night with hunting voices didn’t seem so bad at all.

_No._

Link’s eyebrows set to a firm frown.

_I wanted to come here. I won’t let myself get spooked by an empty building. Yes, it’s empty. It won’t be as bad as the Ancient Cistern. That was scary. This is just… uncomfortable. I’ve got dignity left. Somewhere…_

And with that he went forward, shivering step after shivering step.

_Why do I have no lamp?_

Because he threw that away.

_Why do I have no new lamp?_

Because he was sometimes just plain stupid.

_Is it even worth all this?_

There his mind was empty.

It felt right, he had to admit that. It also felt wrong, but only if he thought beyond his own being. That was what he wanted, after all. But when Zelda’s face flashed before his eyes, he cringed.

_She would never understand it…_

Link wasn’t even sure if she was able to understand.

He stood in front of the door. When he opened it and was rewarded with a chaotic room, he wasn’t surprised – he hadn’t felt that specific feeling he was looking for, and that laid like an uncatchable fog inside the whole building. What him surprised, however, was the continuing darkness. There should be windows in there. Without further thought he went into the room – probably an old salon? – and fumbled along the wall. His fingers touched over something rough. Wood. He was confused. Were the windows all boarded up? Link couldn’t see that from outside, the shadow of the overgrowing trees let them appear just black. He pondered for a moment. He wasn’t able to see the roof, or anything over 10 metres up, because of the foliage. Perhaps the Mansion was even bigger than he had expected.

Link looked around. The room continued farther to the opposite wall of the door, there was a passage.

However, the Hero figured it wouldn’t make much sense to continue looking down there – where it was dark and cold and… uncomfortable.

Thus, he turned around, fast, and made his way down the initial corridor, very fast, and didn’t wince at the creaking he produced on the old wooden floor, on which he walked coolly – not really – until the hall spread out to an enormous circular room, an equally huge flight of stairs, parting in the middle on both sides, leading up in an elegant arch, standing in the centre and from the ceiling hung a chandelier, worn and dull, but the beauty still recognisable.

Link stood there in awe, his mouth open.

He couldn’t help the twitch in the corner of his lips. This was more similar to what he was looking for.

With renewed strength, and a lopsided smirk on his face, he made his way up the stairs, taking the left turn. _Now it’s only a matter of feeling_ , he thought to himself.

_And I know the feeling of your presence like the back of my hand._

Link reached the second floor.

He stood there for a minute or two. It still felt like the air in there was hissing at him.

That wasn’t it.

Link took the flight of stairs to the third floor, following the pattern of the one prior. His legs came to a halt there as well. If he wasn’t imagining things, the air became warmer. Not comfortable, but not aggressive anymore.

He went on.

Slowly he began wondering.

Link knew this building was huge before he entered it, but now he wasn’t too convinced anymore about it being a Mansion.

It was more like a – how was it called again? – _Palace_.

The Skyloftian had never seen one in real life, however, Zelda used to read picture books with him, that showed huge Castles, Fortresses and Palaces. Displaying a Princess and a Prince or a Knight, undergoing trials and tribulations and living happily ever after in the end.

A sneer formed on his soft face.

He reached the fourth floor.

If Link wasn’t crazy after the whole day, he would have said the air was now… _beckoning? Tempting? Enticing? Alluring?_

A shiver ran down his spine.

His feet didn’t move.

He looked up the next flight of stairs.

His mind couldn’t form a cohesive thought.

The leather of his boots dragged over the hard wooden floor.

The ascent seemingly endless.

But it came to an end eventually. And Link remained rooted to the ground.

His whole body was trembling.

He felt a breath ghosting over his ear, sending shockwaves down his spine; his fingertips tickling, his own breath taken away.

Link turned around.

Blue eyes met nothing but the dusty wall of the hall.

A sweat was forming on his forehead. 

His head turned back and he looked at the large black door in front of him. The wood was shining, even in the dim atmosphere. Unlike the prior ones, this corridor wasn’t leading straight ahead. It forked to both sides, guiding down the darkness Link felt already used to. His main focus, however, laid on the centre. The young man feared what might happen if he touched the door even the slightest. Trying to swallow the lump in his throat, he reached for the golden handle – how can it feel warm? – pushing it down and opening the wooden blackness with a soft squeak.

The moment it was wide enough open to slip in, he squeezed through and shut it hastily, releasing a breath he didn’t knew he was holding. He leaned with his back and head against the smooth surface, his breath coming out in uneven puffs, his eyes closed. His legs were trembling like an aspen leaf – or how the old people back in Skyloft called that.

Link didn’t dare to open his eyes, yet.

What he didn’t see, he couldn’t know. And what he didn’t know, he couldn’t think about.

_But that’s not why you’re here._

So he blinked his eyes open, a bit stunned by the sudden light illuminating the room.

Link’s mouth dropped open again, and it stayed so for a while.

Never, in his entire life, on his adventure or in his dreams, had he seen such an opulent – what was that even supposed to be? There were three windows on the opposite wall, that reached heights Link didn’t even know where possible; probably the height of the Knight Academy. Two nearly as high black doors to his left and one to his right by the end of the wall. A red chandelier nothing like the – now disappointing small – one on the first floor hung over a dark wooden table, which length was for Link’s mind not even fathomable. Equally dark chairs, covered in red velvet, lined up on both sides and one respectively on each head. The floor he stood on was chequered with black and white tiles, ornamented with filigree gold patterns. And what dumbfounded him the most, was the condition of everything. It was neat. Unlike everything downstairs, nothing seemed to decay, there was no dust hanging in the air.

The air.

It didn’t hit him till now, but the scent.

It smelled so familiar, Link could name every nuance. What name he had for them, he couldn’t tell.

He took in deep breaths.

When he pushed himself from his support, he staggered. Drunk from something he would pretend he didn’t know. Slowly but surely he made his way down the length of the table, his eyes set on the windows and the world behind. Link was able to see over the canopy of the trees, he was even able to make out the highest branches of the Great Tree far in the distance, kilometres away. How had he never noticed this huge Palace yet? Were trees growing over the roof? When he couldn’t even see it from the sky it must be so – the forest was really deep and convoluted after all. The Eldin Volcano was visible as well, even if only faintly.

The Skyloftian came to a halt at the head of the table.

His body tensed.

He didn’t move.

Only his eyes pulled themselves from the mesmerizing view, down to the chair to his left.

That chair interrupted the room. It didn’t stand on its place. It was moved. Like someone was occupying it and didn’t bother pushing it back again.

Link’s fingers brushed over the armrest, the rest of his body not moving yet.

When his nerves finally caught up, he turned around and sat down on the chair left to the one on the head; the sound of wood scratching over marble cutting the silence.

Link stared at nothing for only the Goddess knew how long, his thoughts too fast for him to keep up with.

“I’m not sorry.”, his voice was firm.

“…”

“Everything was supposed to happen. I had no meddling in that. I had no choice.”

“…you had no choice…”, came in a whispered tone.

“I understand a lot more, now. I’m not the blind boy I was back then. I’m not naïve anymore. And I think you cut a huge piece of that cake, you know this.”

“…”

“I was driven by love, back then. I was driven forward by destiny and a promised life, that never existed. My whole life was planned out; how should I tell what I wanted. It was to serve purpose. I have none now.”

“…”

“…”

“If you sat here, you’d never listen to my idle talk.”

A giggle resounded from the walls.

“…but you don’t…”

“I was happy when everything was over. I didn’t feel that light in months. But that didn’t last. It was like a weight was clinging to my ankle and slowly crawling up my whole body. I have nightmares. I don’t like to sleep anymore.”

“You probably don’t know this but I loved sleeping. It was my favourite pastime activity and I was really good at it, if I can say so myself.”

A light laughter erupted from soft lips.

“You occupy a lot of my dreams.”

“…”

“A lot of my head.”

It was silent for a long while. The next thing Link didn’t muster to bring over his lips so easily. It was something that made his life a mess. Made him lose control over his sanity and let him question his whole existence, because it was that wrong but felt so right.

“The Bond between us.”

It was nothing more at first that left him.

“I feel it. I always felt it. I thought it was instinct at first, because I had to be careful. I knew when you were near. But now… Now it’s more intense. I can’t explain it; it doesn’t make any sense. The moment I pierced your Core with the Master Sword I felt a sting in my chest. And after you were gone the Bond…”

“…”

“It’s still there, but it’s disconnected.”

Link wasn’t sure if he could stop his rambling by now anymore.

“After I knew what exactly you were and I saw your true form-“

The fingers of his right hand started to twitch.

_No._

He felt insolent just trying to form the cohesive thought. Shame rose to his cheeks.

How could he think something like that when Fi…

“I think a lot about what Demise said at the end.”, he blurted out.

“It made me lose sleep as well. The Cycle of Hate… It will never end. Sometimes my head bursts. I see stuff, I don’t know about. Only snippets. Today was the same. I have the feeling time is like a river. Flowing down, never stopping. Crossing, swirling, roaring. And I’m a fish, not knowing its direction and being lost… Never finding its way… Trapped in the flow of it all… Seeing everything passing by… Not able to do anything…”

“Except accepting my fate.”

“The connection between us… it gave me hope. It was never intended. It has no purpose, no meaning. I always get giddy just thinking about it.”

He probably sounded like a child.

“But this is something the Goddess won’t allow, huh?”

His throat began to hurt. He wasn’t used to talking in such a quantity – he wasn’t even sure if he ever spoke that much before.

Link sat at his little place in the huge hall in silence.

If there was more he wanted to say, his energy had left him, his eyelids half closed.

The sun started to set.

He opened his mouth with a soft breath: “Maybe…”

Then he snickered, shaking his head, his sun kissed locks swinging along.

The scratching of wood over marble was heard again as Link rose from his seat. He didn’t bother moving the chair back to its former place. He wanted to leave an imprint. He wanted to make his presence clear. He wanted to leave a note not understandable for anybody else.

Link turned to the single door at the wall to his back. With tender steps he closed the distance and opened one of the large door wings. The room had the same aesthetic, one huge window to the left, even though more pragmatic. It was a kitchen. The floor following the pattern of the initial one – it was probably a dining hall. The Skyloftian looked down the large workspace to his right. Everything was so exquisite – nothing like the one in the Knight Academy. He made his way to one of the dark wooden shelves and opened them; _They’re empty_ , he wondered. _What is the use of this then?_ He turned a few times, trying to catch every delicate detail, then left.

Link didn’t close the door.

Now he looked at the opposite wall. One door was close to the windows and the other one to the main entrance. He decided for the latter.

Pushing one wing open, he was greeted with the smell of paper, or books to be more precise. Lining up three of the four walls where shelves over shelves stacked with books – he even went under one over the door, that he noticed, when he stood in the middle of the room – using every space, that can be used. The free wall had the same huge windows illuminating the room like in the dining hall, a settee and two armchairs placed around a dark coffee table under them. The floor chequered, as well. 

Link didn’t know where his eyes should settle first. There was so much to take in. He liked books – a lot actually. Diving in worlds never seen before, reading about history or mythology – if they were even separable – sometimes even science. Schoolbooks, however, he would pass. They never felt like books to him, more like necessities. He wrinkled his nose, being happy, that he probably had to only do this one year and he would be done. If he really decided to become a tutor then only for the Art of the Sword, or something like that. His hand traced absentmindedly over the spine of the books. Link’s eyes scanned the titles; some were in the Hylian he knew, some in the old, nearly forgotten form and then there were books he felt insecure looking at. The script of them seemed… weird. He doubted he would be able to understand them even if he knew the letters. Blue eyes drifted outside the windows. Branches hid some parts of the view but he could see over the canopies of the forest nonetheless. It seemed to go on forever. Only far in the distance hills and mountains cut through the green, the landscape there painted mysteriously. Link loved this room. He could have spent days over days in there. So he left.

He didn’t bother closing that door, as well. 

His heart beat wild.

He feared the next room.

His boots travelled over the shining floor.

His palms sweaty.

His throat dry.

When Link stood right in front of the dark abyss, he took a deep breath. His hand shook violently, making opening the door harder. After he mustered the strength to push the golden handle down, it felt like an unredeemable mistake.

Link went in anyways.

The moment he closed the door behind him, his body slumped against it. Trembling. If Link had problems the first time this scent played around his nose, he was now fighting for control when it hit him full force. If somebody saw him right now, they would have thought he had a panic attack – maybe he had one, how was he supposed to tell. So many thoughts, memories and emotions were rushing through his head. His hand gripped the fabric over his abdomen. Link was becoming dizzy. He slit down the dark surface, his breath ragged. He needed to calm down. He needed to get himself together. He had dignity!

Thus, Link sat there. Letting the world spin around him; swirling things he knew, things he didn’t want to know and things that bared no meaning at him. He just took them. What was left to do anyways? So his universe slowly calmed down and his body responded to him again. Leaving him drained and sore.

A husky laughter echoed in the room.

He was so pathetic.

No wonder his life was so miserable.

Link’s head raised and for the first time he took in his surroundings. His eyes wandered through the room. What was he supposed to say? It was everything he expected. The room was huge – not even Fledge’s and his combined gave such a size. Three of those massive windows to his right. Under them two red armchairs and a small, dark coffee table. A bed, probably half the size of Link’s room, in the middle of the wall to the back. Bedside tables on each side. An oversized red rug laid right in front of him. His eyes stopped there for a long while, encaptured with it. He started to slowly stand up. Two of the four walls were lined with shelves, too. To his surprise, they weren’t as neat and sorted as the ones in the reading room. To his right was a lot of… stuff. A confused look formed on the boy’s face. It appeared to be equipment for scientific research and measurement, if he wasn’t mistaken. Everything was piled up on a large wooden desk – or underneath it – papers everywhere and open books stacked over each other. It was chaos. The chair was moved back, ink smudges on the velvet. He stood there. That was out of character. At least for Link. That was nothing like the always self-aware, tidy and planned out man he knew. If he knew Link saw that side of him, he would make sure to kill him for good.

A giggle bubbled out of the Skyloftian.

Next to the desk was a telescope. By the position of it Link could already tell it was not for observing stars. Carefully he stepped closer and, to his embarrassment, it was nearly too high for him to look through. Now on tiptoes – and with a red face – he took a look. Link didn’t move for a long time. He was confused – again. It showed the sky, yes. But the angle was strange. Link stepped back from the telescope. He did some superficial math and took a look at his maps and out the window. Then he looked through it again. The position allowed to view the part of the sky under the – now thin – Cloud Barrier, overlooking all three major regions. Only the peak of the Eldin Volcano needing some adjustment. Link’s eyebrows furrowed.

_What was the use of-_

Then it hit him.

Blood rushed in his head.

It was to watch _him_. To keep track of _him_. Descent. Ascent.

His head spun to his right. He looked through some papers and notes on the desk. _This feels… dirty_ , he thought with a grimace, _rummaging through people’s stuff_. However, it was to no avail. The letters didn’t make sense for Link, they were the same as on the books earlier. He wasn’t able to understand them. Somehow relieved he turned around.

_There is another door…_

He hadn’t noticed, because the shelves obscured it, but there was on leading to another room.

“If this doesn’t turn out to be the most extravagant bath I’ve ever seen, I’ll marry Peatrice.”, he said to himself.

Even though Link knew he was going to be right, the release was tangible in the air. On the wall opposite of him was a window and directly under it a… bathtub. It was gigantic. He thought the one in the Academy was huge to begin with, but this? This was a different class. The bath was white, decorated with gold, only the tiles where the same black and white pattern as all the other rooms. To his right was a platform, small stairs leading up to it, with a perforated ceiling over it – it was probably a shower. And to his left were two washbasins. Over them hung an enormous mirror. It was a unique bath, but it didn’t hold his interest as the other rooms did. He turned around and closed the door behind him.

It was silent and Link didn’t move right away. He stood next to the large bed. It was well made, no sight of someone having occupied it. The young man went around, standing by it from the other side, his eyes never leaving the smooth fabric. The last rays of the sun where hitting his back and spread a pleasant warmth over his body. Link’s hand wandered to his scar. He stood there a moment longer, before his eyes wandered to his right.

A bottle of… _Wine?_ was standing on the bedside table, next to it a glass. None of it seemed opened or used. There was also something else. _A book?_ Link’s eyebrows were set firm when he took it in his hands, feeling the weathered binding. He looked at it for a second. Then he gasped.

_This… this is… That can’t be!_

A rush of something Link couldn’t identify heaved his body. His hands shook when he opened the book cover.

And there it stood:

**LINK**

The handwriting was insecure, spidery, and the _N_ was written the wrong way.

He held it in a dead man’s grip.

His mind was empty and full at the same time, his stomach tightening, cold sweat forming on his forehead.

Link didn’t know what he wanted to do.

Run?

Cry?

Laugh?

Vomit?

He just stood there. Rooted to the ground.

He remembered that day.

_It was the first day of Primary School. The isle was separated from the main once so the children could get a hang on flying, after they freshly bonded with their Loftwings. Adult Knights would watch over them on their way, making sure nobody did fall off their bird or crash into any kind of rock or other younglings. Link was never one to mind such behavioural rules. At least in the sky. He had a strong bond from the get go with his crimson partner and was accustomed to the feeling of flying and sharing a mental connection with a Loftwing. It was as easy as walking and breathing at the same time, in his opinion. And his reckless flying style had to start somewhere, right? So he made his leap from one of the ledges in Skyloft much later then all the other students and began his flight. Link and his bird flew high up in the sky and fell straight down again; his laughter, the squawking of his friend and the wind drowning out every noise. They flew close over the Cloud Barrier, Link’s tiny hands playing with the white, fluffy vapour. And then up again, doing manoeuvres he wasn’t allowed to do until he became a student of the Knight Academy. And then it happened. The young boy and his Loftwing were flying a loop, when his bag must have opened and his First Grade Book fell out. The moment Link saw it falling, he leapt after it, trying to catch it in time before it hit the Barrier and was gone forever. The wind was cutting around him, his blue eyes watery. He nearly had it! But then a Knight flew right past him, stirring his bird and making it stop. The Knight was furious, Link remembered, he screamed at him and even threated to take his bird away. Link cried. Hard. He didn’t stop when they reached the School Building, if anything he just cried more. Zelda was there immediately, by his side the whole time, when the Knight explained everything to the Teacher and when she scolded him. “It’s your first day and you’re not even over an hour late! No! You even lost the only book you had to take care of?! What should I think of you, huh?! You won’t get an extra treatment just because you have no parents!”, he could probably still recall this to his last day. If it was possible he cried even more. The teacher knew she overstepped, and she apologized afterwards, but it made it no less hurtful. After that, he was not allowed to fly alone anymore. Since he lived with Zelda and the Knight Academy Headmaster Gaepora anyways, he had to take responsibility for Link and him and his daughter had to share her book for the rest of the year._

And now it was there.

Right in his hands.

It was so absurd.

Link started to laugh. It was a wholeheartedly laugh, shaking his whole body.

He looked at the page again, his shoulders still heaving. There was something else written underneath his crude attempt of his name. Contrasting it with an elegant manuscript:

**_Why did I not kill him the first time?_ **

Link laughed even harder now. Tears beginning to form in his eyes.

This was all so ridiculous.

His stomach began to hurt and he tried to catch himself. After he calmed down he wiped the tears away, a smile still prominent on his lips.

He laid the book down on the bed, sitting himself next to it. Without hesitation he threw himself backwards, his arms spreading out on both sides. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes. The scent… It soothed him, but at the same time kept him on edge. He would have liked to live like this. Link overtook a feeling of familiarity. He wanted to fight it, however, he had no such energy for that. So he accepted it.

Why wanted he to fight it again?

He opened his eyes lazily, gazing over at the bedside table.

Link pushed himself from the soft covers. He reached for the bottle of wine, inspecting the label. _Nope, can’t read that either._ He fumbled around in his Adventure Pouch. The knife, that he pulled out, was simple, the edge sharp nonetheless. Link poked the tip in the cork, wiggling it till it made a _pop_ -sound. Then he poured the Bordeaux coloured liquid in the glass, that stood next to the bottle. He reclosed the flask, returning it to its former spot.

Link’s eyes wandered out the window again, watching the sunset. The glass found its way to his mouth, his lips closing around the rim tenderly. He took a gulp.

His brows and eyes clenched together.

He hated wine.

The taste was never something he found enjoyment in.

Link finished the glass.

He placed it back on the table. The young man watched till the sun was completely set and the first stars fought their way to visibility. He leaned back again, his eyes to the ceiling.

Link was so calm.

He felt so at peace.

He didn’t notice when his eyelids fell down and the world around him became soft, welcoming darkness.

Link hated it.

When he awoke, he was cradled in the sheets; the covers laying around and over him messy. He felt well rested.

Link laid there, on his side, watching the world outside the window.

He got up, eventually. The Skyloftian took a paper from the stack on the desk, wrote a note down and put it underneath the bottle on the bedside table.

**Thanks for finding my book.**

Then Link left.

He would never come back.

* * *

Calloused fingers brushed tenderly over old leather.

That book was driving Link insane, but he considered it his most valuable possession.

And that drove him even more insane.

He always carried it in his Adventure Pouches. At first it was among the others on the shelf in his room in the Knight Academy, however, maybe… he was paranoid.

What if someone – _Zelda_ – came in, looking for a book he had, and would find it? What was he supposed to say if someone – _Zelda_ – recognized it and asked him, where he had found it? What, when someone – _Zelda_ – would read the note on the first page?

_I’m paranoid._

A sigh left the blonde’s lips.

That was probably absurd, but he wouldn’t risk it. If Zelda found the book, the light in her eyes would probably fade again… She would probably take it away… So Link would have probably lost that, too.

No, he didn’t gamble.

Blue eyes wandered over the green he sat on, his back leaned against the bark of a tree, while his hands still fondled the book in his lap.

He wouldn’t even be mad at her, if he was honest.

Zelda had a lot of reasons to be so harsh with him. He let them all in the dark, avoiding any more interaction than necessary and still lingering among them, like a ghost. Having his mind full of the very person, that tried to – no, succeeded in – killing his best friend and former love interest, the most important being in his whole life. Not being able to live on with the people he should love the most. Maybe he just wanted to be understood, maybe there was only one to fully grasp the weight on his shoulders, only one to help lift it because he placed it on him in the first place.

_But the weight will never cease. It’ll drown me, slowly. One day I’ll be gone with no sound. And someday I’ll be there again, no weight pulling me down, no memory to face._

It became easier for him to confront his thoughts since he was in possession of the book. It was physical. It existed. It wasn’t only in his head. Like everything else.

Link thought often and long about that everything else now. It felt strange being honest with oneself, not suppressing the thoughts when they came. So he learned to accept.

He learned to accept, that Zelda and him would never get back to their former lives ever again; to their former selves. He learned to accept, that Fi would never interact with him ever again and that the next time they met, he would not remember her. He learned to accept, that he could never escape the river he swirled around in; living, fighting, dying, cleanse, repeat. He learned to accept the life he had and the lives, that would come.

His head fell back, resting on the wooden surface. The Skyloftian’s eyes fixed the endless blue above his head, the light filtering in a yellow-greenish glow through the canopy.

However, he never learned to accept the colour of the sky.

Link hated it.

His feelings about it got even more convoluted. It didn’t only feel like a cage – a mockery – no, it began to feel like pain. Like a burden he was supposed to bear, but that left him more silent than he already was. It felt like a bond of friendship, marked to be soaked in blood. However, everything was forgotten when the twilight sat, making him feel a strange sadness. Then drifting off into a slumber of tunes and melodies he had already forgotten when the dawn neared. Waking up with the taste of the sea in his mouth, while being hundreds of kilometres away from it.

Those weren’t his feelings, those weren’t his emotions, those weren’t his lives.

And yet they were there, following him, waiting for their turn, gnawing at his soul.

Link was tired.

“…”

The leaves over his head danced in a slight breeze. The air in Faron carrying a pleasant warmth. His gaze wandered over the landscape lifelessly, before fixing on one point. His thoughts were streaming in front of his eyes, giving him no time to grasp on one for too long. Link just sat there, book in hand, no motion. His eyelids became heavy.

“Temptation.”, he slurred tiredly.

A chuckle made his way up his throat, making him shake his head. He really hoped Hylia was not able to see in his head – or Zelda in that case, which would be even worse if he thought about it.

“Temptation, indeed.”

He stood up and dusted off his pants, feeling life returning in his limbs. Link looked at his First Grade Book again, or the first page to be more precise.

“Why didn’t you kill me the first time… I wonder that, too.”, those words came impishly from the young man’s lips, carrying a playfulness only years of knowing someone could have held. Even though his voice wasn’t louder than the wind brushing his hair, it made him shudder. A sly smile playing with the corner of his lips.

In that moment he felt the importance of that book, of that page. It was an anchor and if he lost it, he would lose himself. He would become even more of a lost soul than he already was.

“I have no use for my sanity anyways.”, Link whispered, one hand on his hip, the other holding onto the weathered leather, then he put it in his Adventure Pouch.

He stretched, his back making a _pop_ -sound, before he went off.

The woods where beautiful, the young man cherished every moment. The birdsongs were like chimes lighting up his path and making him hum along. Sunrays glistered through the canopies, catching in honey blonde curls. Every step felt right.

Link was… happy.

He really was.

He didn’t know why, however, he didn’t bother. He felt strong for the first time in weeks and Link knew exactly where he would use that energy.

He stopped in his tracks when the familiar dust of wind swept around him.

A rhythmic knock echoed through the empty corridor, followed by a long moment of silence.

Link hit the ground with the tip of his boots, the waiting stringing his nerves. He bit his bottom lip.

_Maybe that wasn’t a good idea…_

“…come in.”, a voice finally resounded from the other side of the wooden door.

Link’s hand closed around the door handle and he pushed it down, insecure. The wood creaked and the boy entered tenderly. Then he closed it silently behind him, rooted to the ground. His eyes were glued to his feet.

“Hello.”, came the warm greeting from Zelda. She was smiling, if Link heard correctly.

“…hello.”, nothing more than a whisper.

“…do you intend on standing there the whole day?”, Zelda giggled, “I can bring you tea if you want and throw a blanket over your head so you can sleep there.” She was silent for a second: “Please, just sit down.”

Link finally looked up, seeing her gesturing towards her bed. His best friend was sitting at her desk, pieces of fabric scattered on it and one lying in her lap, around her wrist a bracelet with a soft knot on top, where needles were stuck in. She had a free day, or else she would not be on Skyloft. Thus, the dark blond did as told and sat down. He put his hands between his legs, clenching them tight, so he would not start to fidget with them.

“I’m glad you still remember our knock-signal.”, her blue eyes scanned the fabric in her hands, examining her previous work.

Link looked up through his lashes, replying sheepishly: “How could I forget?”

They shared a moment of silence, neither of them making an afford to go on. The young man, however, had so much to say, so much to ask, so much to confess; but no words left his mouth, he was never one to start a conversation. He wanted to cry.

“I’m also glad, that you came here.”, Zelda’s cheery voice fell unusually low, like it always did the last months when she and Link tried to talk. It made his throat sore.

He stayed silent.

Zelda took a deep breath: “I know you want to talk with me. And I know you’re afraid of talking with me. And I can understand this…” Link’s eyes shot up at this. His friend sighed, before she continued: “I wasn’t a really good friend, was I?”, the honey blond opened his mouth, “No, Link. Please, don’t say anything. I didn’t listen to you; not even once did I gave you the impression I was there for you. And even though I love you so much, I didn’t bother.”

“I love you, too.”, it was silent, as usual, but it held a strength that even Zelda noticed, so she looked up, their eyes locking, then Link continued, his attention returning to his boots: “You did nothing wrong… I… I was… I _am_ not easy to handle, I know this. I understood your frustration with me, and I understand it now, too. You’ve got all the rights in the world and I’ll never blame you. I promise.”

Link stopped. His mind was so full; he wasn’t able to choose his next words.

“Do you…”, Zelda started softly, “…wanna tell me?”, she smiled at him, her sewing work now resting on the desk, her chair fully turned to face him, “Only if you want, though.”

“I want to!”, Lank said hastily, “I really do… but I don’t know how to start…”

She just kept smiling at him, waiting patiently as he rummaged the unsorted folders in his head. If he was honest, he wanted to ask about Lanayru first. But he decided against it.

“When you told me…”

No, that was not a good starting point either.

“After you…”

_Damn it!_

“Something is wrong with me and I know it! I’m so sorry, but I can’t change it! There’s this Bond but it’s not there anymore but I still feel it! I need to feel it or I’ll lose my mind! It’s wrong but it feels right! I can’t function anymore because there’s so much pressure on me it feels like my neck will break!”, Link blurted, his chest heaving with every breath, “I’m so sorry I disappointed every one of you…”, his voice dropped to a whisper, “…I’m so sorry…”

The room was silent, only Link’s breath was heard. Then there was rustling and the mattress gave under a weight next to him. Slender arms wrapped around shaking shoulders. The young man tensed for a moment before he leaned into the embrace, his eyes closed – they were stinging. And it didn’t take long before the first tears started to roll down his face.

Both of them stayed like this for a long time. That was what they had needed, that was what they should have done months, maybe over a year ago. Things could have been easier.

“I know why you feel this way…”, the voice was soft and warm in his ears, “It is because everything I have done…”, Link flinched, his body tensed up, “It is because of the plan I had spun…”, the tune became icy, detached, like a freezing fog slipping in his mind, “Because of the role you had to play…”

Link wiggled out of the embrace, careful not to be too rough.

“My Child, I understand your will to revolt against the greater fate, that is why you cling to a feeling you sought out, which you wanted to feel real.”, Hylia spoke with the most serene tonation, “I want to help you. I can make you forget, however, I have not a full grasp on my powers in this mortal form, but I am willing to try.”

The way Hylia looked at him through Zelda’s eyes made him feel like he stripped his soul in front of the whole world. His tears were still flowing down the rivers they had made on his cheeks – they would not stop any time soon.

“No.”, he breathed out, his lips trembled.

Hylia closed her eyes and nodded. The next time she opened them Link started to relax.

“I wish you would’ve let me help, but I accept your decision.”, the line between Zelda and Hylia was so thin, it nearly didn’t exist. _It doesn’t exist_ , Link thought bitterly. That wasn’t the first time it had happened. However, Link never noticed it by anybody else. It was like the true Goddess only showed her holy being in front of the Chosen Hero. That was also a reason he was so afraid of talking with Zelda.

Link hated it.

Zelda sat there, her hands in her lap, the sun shining through the painted window caught in her hair, the dust dancing around them. She took a deep breath, again: “Link-“

“What is it you feel for Groose?”

“Eh, what?”, she gave him a lopsided smile.

“I want to know”, he continued, “what it feels like.”

It was an odd question, he had to admit, but he needed to know before she could ask what she wanted to ask.

“Love, silly.”, her laugh chimed in the room.

Link’s eyes didn’t leave the ground: “What does it feel like?”

He felt Zelda tense, she didn’t answer immediately: “It… it’s something you yearn for… something you want to hold and never let loose of it again.”, she thought for a moment, “Your body tingles. When you see that someone you want to be close to them. And your tummy does some weird stuff”, she giggled, “but it’s also something that needs time and work…”, he saw in his peripheral view that she was now looking at him, “…and trust.”

“When did you start loving him?”

“He worked a lot for my love, we all have to admit that”, a chuckle came from her lips, “but I’d had never accepted that work if he hadn’t started to respect you.” Link looked her in the eyes, surprised. “You were and still are the most important person in my life and if he had continued treating you like he used to, I had kicked his butt.”

The young man looked at the blond, dumbfounded. He blinked a few times and then started to laugh. Zelda looked at him for a second before she joined him.

“You see”, she said between laughter, “he gained my trust and I didn’t regret it.”

“I’m so happy for you.”, Link said, smiling at her, “I was hoping for it to happen for so long ‘cause I think you two really complement each other, to my own surprise actually.”

“I take this as a compliment, thank you very much.”

Both laughed again before it went silent. It was a pleasant silence, no tension, just two friends enjoying each other’s company. They sat there, smiling. No one wanted to break this moment but the two of them knew it had to pass eventually. Zelda stood up and went back to her desk, sitting down, she shoved the fabrics out of the way and took out a piece of paper. She began to write something.

“What do you feel for _him_?”

Link’s eyebrows rose. It was not like he hadn’t expected this question, however, hearing it was… strange. What did he actually feel? He was not sure… His hand wandered absentmindedly over his abdomen. The thought of him made his body tingle, like waves of an electric shock. When their body’s had brushed, the spot would burn for days. He got itchy and nervous and just wanted to move. There was a desire, but Link couldn’t tell what for. His right hand twitched. Heat shot in his head, burning his cheeks to ashes. He was trembling. He knew the answer…

“Link?”

“Hatred.”

“…excuse me?”, she inquired, turning her head.

“ _Hatred_.”

Zelda blinked, taken aback: “I… I don’t understand, I’m sorry…”

“That’s what I feel for him.”

She would have probably asked him five more times if she didn’t saw the burning passion in his eyes – even Link could feel the fire behind them. Zelda gulped visibly, turning again, and continued to write whatever occupied her mind.

“I don’t want to let loose of him…”, Link whispered. If it reached Zelda’s ears, then she didn’t react. After a minute of quietness, she whispered back: “Your only solution, hm?” He didn’t bother to react.

“I’m not sorry for forbidding you to fight with Lanayru.”, Zelda began in her normal voice, “And for that I’m sorry. But I still think it doesn’t benefit your mental health and I hope you can someday understand my intentions. I don’t want you to forgive me, I want you to be happy and live.”

Link was silent.

“However, Master Shortpants”, his head shot up, his eyes wide; Zelda slit the folded paper, she had written on, in an envelope, smiling slyly at her best friend, “I want you to give this to Lanayru.” She handed him the letter. Link looked at Zelda and then at the letter and then back at Zelda, sceptical, before he reached out for it: “Did you talk with Scrap-“

“As my tiny, shiny eyes can see, you’re fully equipped and, if I’m not mistaking, the day is not even half over.”, she stood up, looking out of the window and then with a firm stare back at Link, “And as you can see, I, the mighty Goddess, am a very busy person”, her hands picked up the fabrics, then her overly dramatic voice continued, “and have very important tasks on my hand, time is a luxury I don’t have. So it will be your assignment to bring this very important piece of holy script to the mighty Thunder Dragon.” A bright smile formed on Link’s lips. “ _And_ you are not allowed to leave until the addressee opened and read the important piece of holy script. This is an order from your lovely and gorgeous and super holy and bestest friend Zelda. And if you refuse…”, a dramatic pause followed, “I’ll kick your butt.”

And with that Link started to laugh.

“Excuse you, this is important and an order!”, Zelda giggled.

Link only laughed more. That was what he wanted, that normalness between them, like they used to be before all of that. But he knew that was a dream, there were shadows lurking behind both of them and they waited for their turn to throw them at each other again. So Link cherished those small moments even more, securing them in his head and heart.

“Can I ask you one more thing?”, Link began quietly after he had calmed down.

“What is it, sleepy head?”

Link gulped: “You and Impa…”

“I loved her.”, Zelda said without skipping a beat, “I still do. Groose knows that.”

The boy looked at her, stunned. He was expecting something like that, but such a direct answer…

“I see…”, he whispered with a smile. “I should probably get going, oh mighty Goddess.”

“You should be already gone by now!”, Zelda scoffed at him.

A knock on the door interrupted them. The visitor didn’t wait for an invitation.

“Hey Zel, I was wondering if you-“, Groose stopped after seeing Link standing in the middle of the room, “Oh, hey buddy. What’s up?”

“We were talking, Groose.”, Zelda answered instead, emphasising everything like it had a deeper meaning Link wasn’t allowed to know.

“Oh! OH! That’s great, eh, I mean… nice. Hope you had a good talk.”, the redhead quibbled, folding his arms behind his back. An awkward silence followed.

Link looked back and forth between the two, their faces even more awkward, like they gave each other glances when Link wasn’t looking at one of them…

“I… I should be going…”

“Like I said, you should have already left.”, Zelda spoke, her arms folded behind her back as well and her nose high in the air.

“…okay…”, Link turned to leave, “Good bye…”

“Good bye, Link”, Zelda and Groose chimed in unison, the latter stepping out of the way.

_Weird._

The blonde boy closed the door slowly behind him, but not without shooting a last glance back in the room, his friends now standing side by side, still smiling and their hands behind their backs.

 _A Match made in Heaven_ , he thought sarcastically, rolling his eyes with a smile.

He was curious, though… So he didn’t leave immediately, pressing his ear on the wooden door. After all, that wasn’t the first time he eavesdropped on them. It was silent for a long time and as Link was ready to give up he heard muffled voices:

“And?”

“I think… we’re on the right way.”

And with a small smile on his face, he left.

The moment the desert air hit his face, he felt uneasy. His descent was at least uneventful, so maybe it wasn’t all too bad. But the thought, that he had to see the Thunder Dragon… It made his stomach ache. Their last parting wasn’t on a good foot. And Link was more than ashamed about his behaviour. Shame was his prominent feeling regarding the Dragon it seemed. He sighed. The Gorge was around a kilometre from his current location away, so he had some time thinking about an apology.

He was so ashamed.

…

He was so afraid.

He was also not ready for the gaze of the robot.

Link wasn’t ready for anything. He sighed again. His mind wandered to the letter. The Skyloftian had a suspicion of the contents of it and he feared and anticipated the result at the same time. He felt this was his last chance. This would close a chapter in his life forever. That thought made him sad beyond believe. Never being able to go back to something you seem important – it stung. A dull sting, though. Like a dagger weathered by time.

Another sigh escaped his lips. Link was thankful. He had the opportunity to have it not ripped away from him, but to bow out. After that, he would probably avoid Lanayru. There was no use in visiting him, albeit it being rude.

“Temptation…”, Link spoke under his breath.

He didn’t feel like fighting. He wanted to sleep.

_‘I want you to be happy and live.’_

Maybe he had to marry Peatrice after all.

The fourth sigh pressed out of his mouth and disappeared into the desert air. Zelda would not like that, she hated her. The wedding would be a nightmare – probably only for Groose and himself. When Link told Zelda, that Peatrice _perhaps_ had a crush on him, she nearly lost her mind, running around like a Cucco, saying, that if Link and her got together, she would disinherit him.

“Why is life so hard…?”, Link sighed.

When he arrived at the entrance to the Lanayru Gorge he hadn’t prepared at all. And the sixth sigh was nothing notable at this point anymore. Link crouched down and pressed his small body through the hole in the wall. The moment he arrived at the other side the air was softer on his lungs and the heat not as biting as before. He rummaged in his Pouches, trying to find the object of importance and went straight to the perch of the Dragon – not minding the robot that worked on the side of the track; no, not at all. Lanayru didn’t notice him immediately. He laid on his stone formation, his tail swinging lazily and his breath even. He was probably lost in his thoughts.

That made Link even more nervous. What if he interrupted the ancient being in deciphering the mysteries of the universe – or something like that…? He was such a coward.

Link let out his – hopefully – last sigh, before speaking silently: “Good afternoon, Lanayru.”

“Huh? Ah, Link? What brings you in my Gorge?”, the elder reptile seemed truly surprised by his visit. He straightened his back and crossed his legs, now floating over the abyss.

“I’ve got something to deliver to you, it’s from Ze- it’s from the Goddess.”

Link took careful steps and closed the distance between them, handing the envelope to the Dragon. He examined the – in his claws – small piece of paper, then looked at Link.

“You are not allowed to leave, until I read the content of it, am I correct?”

The young man nodded.

“So it is then…”, a heavy breath left his nostrils. Link didn’t saw it as annoyance, more like a reaction to a tedious process to which the answer was already clear. He wouldn’t even be surprised if the Thunder Dragon already knew the matter.

Some silent minutes passed, the manufacturing process of the robots the only sound. Link didn’t pay attention to anything specific at all, his view fixed on something and nothing at the same time.

A heavy breath escaped Lanayru.

“I want to apologize.”, Link blurted out, “I’m truly sorry for my words and even more for my behaviour. I had no right to talk to you like that.” He bowed his head, finishing with a last: “I’m sorry.”

The elder Dragon let out another breath – there might be a pattern to that meeting. He didn’t answer immediately and that made the boy start to fidget with his hands. He would understand when Lanayru didn’t except his apology. He overstepped.

The Thunder Dragon closed his eyes and began: “I accept your apology, even if there was no need for it.”, he opened them and let them drift over Link’s frame, “We were all overstepping boundaries. However, it seems that you and Zelda came to some terms with each other. Do you know the content of this letter?”, he gestured with the envelope towards Link.

The boy shook his head, his bangs following the motion.

“Well, then He-“, the memories of their last meeting must had crossed the Dragon’s mind, “Link, I have a question for you and I want an answer.” Link nodded eagerly. “This will be your last fight” – so he had been correct – “so let’s do it right, my boy!”

Lanayru clapped his claws together, spinning around himself one time and then his voice boomed over the Gorge:

“Well, what I offer is more than a mere child’s play! I would have you face challenges that draw upon the many hardships you’ve experienced thus far.”, he gestured widely, “Look to the past to understand the future. That’s what I say.”, with that he looked at Link intensely, “And I think you will find that you have much to gain in revisiting your own past. So, what do you say, Link?”, he ended with a low voice.

Link nodded.

“I cannot hear you, my boy.”

“I’m game!”, he answered.

“You’re a true hero! That’s the spirit.”, Lanayru clapped again, “Then if you permit me, I’ll take a peek at your past experiences.” A moment of silence followed. “Indeed. Indeed. You have done some amazing things, like battling fierce foes and overcoming the daunting trails in the Silent Realm. All right, then! Based on those experiences, you can choose one of two exiting challenges!”, the affected voice of the Dragon lowered once again, leaving the following question with a dramatic weight, “Which one would you like to try? Pick whichever one you like.”

Link snickered, even if it wasn’t his last time, he would never ever choose the second option. Never.

“Battle!”

“You want to battle? Fantastic! I like your moxie.”, he bent down, nudging the hero’s shoulder with one of his fingers. “All right, then… which period of your journey would you like to face an enemy from?”

“The beginning.”

“From the beginning of your journey, huh?”, he feigned thoughtfulness, “ _Which one_ would you like to face?”

The air around them came to a halt, the atmosphere heavy.

Link’s fists clenched beside him.

“Ghirahim.”

The Thunder Dragon nodded: “So it shall be.”

And the simulation began.

Dizziness and nausea washed over him. Link hadn’t felt that in quite some time, so his eyes didn’t open immediately. Everything spun behind them. However, the grip around the Goddess Sword was all the security he needed. He forced his eyelids open, dreading the sight that would greet him. Link didn’t put his eyes on anything else, though.

Right in the centre of the circular room stood the very person that haunted his mind.

Link furrowed his brows.

The Demon Lord didn’t move, everything frozen in place. The simulation wouldn’t start before Link made the first move.

He didn’t want to do so.

The young man inhaled deeply.

Link hadn’t seen Ghirahim for – what was it even? – weeks? Months? And even now he didn’t really see him. It wasn’t him.

_It isn’t him._

Blue eyes wandered over the pale, tall figure in front of him. The man had always… fascinated the Skyloftian. His face was hard, the cheek bones and bridge of his brows defined. The nose straight and the full lips painted white like his hair. It covered one half of his face, a black diamond under the eye Link couldn’t see. The eyes… They always captured him, drowning his senses in the endless abyss, dark and tempting.

Link wanted to move.

But he didn’t. It was his last chance and he wanted to live out every moment.

He gulped.

Ghirahim was someone you had to look at twice, or maybe even a fifth time, and you still weren’t sure what you felt in those glances. Link had probably regarded him a thousand times by now and could still not wrap his mind around a thought he was happy with. Everything he wanted to say felt wrong and everything wrong he wanted to think felt like a lie. So Link tried to get his thoughts straight and focus on something else.

The Hero took a step forward and the air began to stir, the fight starting.

Link winced.

He didn’t even need to look at his rival to know the steps he made, the pace he moved in or the exact moment he lifted his fingers. It was always the same. A pattern. Inorganic.

_Not alive._

It felt as unreal as it was.

Link hated it.

He drew out the first phase of the programmed fight longer than it needed to be. If Lanayru was watching him – what he probably was every time – he might be more bored than usual. Link cringed inwardly at the thought of being watched, heat rushing in his head. It was not like he did something forbidden or something you should only do behind closed doors – not that the boy had any knowledge in that regard – however, it felt intimate nonetheless.

He felt himself spacing out as he dodged some daggers being thrown his way, his eyes lingering on the pale body of his enemy. They circled each other for some time now. _This fight is a joke_ , Link thought bitterly. It was nothing more than a farce. Paling in comparison to their actual first fight. The young Hero had to keep on his toes the whole time and fear every teleportation. Their swords clashed for so long, Link had lost all feeling for time and space back then. It was so otherworldly, that it was ludicrous to try and explain it to somebody else. He stroked the material covering his abdomen. The fight back then was also… charged. The air sparkling with tension. Link could feel his cheeks starting to burn again. Their bodies had touched a lot – a real lot. Ghirahim came always close to his face, whispering cruel promises from behind in his ear, lovingly like sweet nothings, sometimes even placing kisses on his neck, throwing Link completely off guard and then attacking him relentless. And the worst thing, he couldn’t forgive himself even now, was that he forgot about his mission, forgot about Zelda. He was so captivated, hadn’t Fi told him what to do, he had stood in this chamber for an hour.

Link landed the blow that would end the first phase. Ghirahim stumbled backwards, snapping his fingers and summoning his black sword. 

He liked their real swordfights way better. When the Demon was unarmed, it felt like he was toyed with – well, he, in fact, was – but it was worse when it wasn’t even a human being – if you could categorise the Sword Spirit as such. Having the simulation imitate that behaviour struck Link the wrong way. Thus, they continued to circle each other. It was more like the young man kept a safe distance between them, occasionally dodging the daggers. Ghirahim started to attack soon, though Link didn’t counteract and only kept on moving. His grip around the Goddesses Sword tightened. Even if it wasn’t the real one, the Hero couldn’t help but cherish the contact.

_This feeling will be lost soon, too._

He looked in Ghirahim’s eyes. There was nothing. No fire burning behind them. No seductive glance Link wouldn’t pick up on. No temptation.

Link felt his throat clench.

He wanted to scream.

So he laughed.

It was a raspy sound echoing through the room.

“It’s all your fault.”, Link whispered, while striking over Ghirahim’s torso with his sword.

He whirled it casually around in his hands, letting it cut through the air.

“I could’ve had a normal life if it wasn’t for you.”, Link continued to circle his foe, “You’re dead. I’ve killed you”, he stopped, swallowing the lump in his throat, “and yet, you’re not letting go of my life.”

Another strike.

The Demon Lord snapped his fingers, vanishing from Link’s view. That time, the boy stood in place, his voice softly returning: “If it wasn’t for you, I could be happy now.” The older man fell down from above, Link merely sidestepping out of the range of the blow, his black sword stuck in the ground. He had no time to think as his hand shot up, grabbing the chin of his opponent, Link whispered right into his face: “Why didn’t you kill me the first time?”

There was a moment of complete motionlessness. Blond brows furrowed. Link hold onto the smooth skin for another second before he broke the contact and walked a few metres away. Ghirahim didn’t respond immediately, nor did he held eye contact with the youth in that situation. Eventually, he started moving again, following the pattern he was programmed to.

Link started to engage slowly in a battle of swords with the simulation, carefully not to hit him: “Do you know, how much I hate you?”

Silence.

“Do you know, how much you’ve done to me? To Zelda?”

The clashing of metal against metal echoed between them, the vibration traveling through Link’s arm. He didn’t notice till now, but he wasn’t using his Wooden Shield. He didn’t need it anyway.

“Do you know…”, Link swallowed, the lump in his throat returning: “…how much I regret?”, it was even less than a whisper.

Silence.

The Skyloftian let his eyes drift over the figure again, before stopping at his eyes, not interrupting the stare. He felt his blood boil, the heat racing through his torso and limbs, his heart pounding in his ears.

“Do you even know”, he hissed, his teeth clenched, “what I’ve lost?”

Link swung his sword, hitting it against Ghirahim’s, bringing him out of balance. He landed another forceful blow at his sword, now closer to the handle, loosening his grip. The Hero spun around and, with the momentum he got, smashed the Goddess Sword with all his might against the dark metal, forcing it out of the pale male’s hand and hearing it clatter on the ground. Then Link bent his knees and pushed himself forward, landing with his whole weight against the lean chest of the Sword Spirit. They fell to the ground, the younger man not feeling the impact. He landed right on top of his nemesis, his legs on each side of the Demon. Link rammed his sword in the ground right next to the white haired head – likely cutting off some strands. His left hand around Ghirahim’s throat, pressing down, holding him in place.

“I HATE YOU!”, Link screamed. He couldn’t remember ever raising his voice to such volumes before, not even the time with Lanayru.

“I hate you so much!”, his breath came out in uneven puffs.

“I hate you.”, he said.

He felt himself trembling. His eyes never left the brown abyss underneath him. They were so empty. Motionless. Not even looking at him. Fixing something and nothing at the same time. Link felt his throat clench again, but this time, he wouldn’t fight it, he had no energy. He saw drops falling on grey skin, running down sharp features and disappearing from view. Few at first, but then growing in number. Link couldn’t hold the sob back, or the ones that followed. His grip around the Goddess Sword and Ghirahim’s neck loosened. He cried. He cried loud and ugly, his head sunken down, his body slumped against the one underneath him. Link didn’t even feel shame at that moment, he just wanted to cry.

He sobbed again, before whispering: “Why can’t I let go of you…?” His tears flowed down his face, hitting soft skin.

Link didn’t think about the stillness – the simulation probably overloaded with the unpredictable set of movements – until it was broken.

What happened next was only a blur in Link’s memory.

He felt a twitch, then a strong hand on his shoulder, then he heard a snap, followed by a rough push, then he hit the ground, his head making hard contact with the tiles. As his eyes snapped open there was a pain. The worst pain he had ever felt in his entire life. It was so overwhelming, that he couldn’t tell at first, where it came from. It floated his whole body. The next thing he heard was a sickening crunch, then a buzzing sound drowned his hearing ability. His eyes travelled from one spot to the next, trying to focus. They landed on a white, vague shape to his left. _A hand… a glove…_ , Link wasn’t able to catch a clear thought as his eyes travelled down the black form the appendix held. Metal. Ending right in his chest.

Link’s eyes widened in horror.

They shot up.

And were met with a pair of dark ones.

He focused on the face, focused on the smiling white lips.

Link felt a weight pressing down on him. The sword in his chest cutting further into his flesh, piercing the ground underneath even more. Pain rushed through his body. He screamed. Tears started to dwell in his eyes again. His lungs burned, the taste of blood smearing his lips. His limbs becoming numb.

When the sword stopped as its cross guard hit his tunic, Link had become silent, his eyes half lidded, fixed on the abyss mere centimetres away from him. Ghirahim’s body was pressed flush against his, settled between his legs. Link could feel every curvature, every muscle, the white strands brushing his face, the gloved hand resting tenderly on his cheek, the even breath against his lips; all that despite his fleeting consciousness. His vision began to fade into black, his body becoming cold, his chest burning.

The last thing he saw were white lips moving, no sound reaching his ears, as everything became nothing.

Link’s eyes snapped open, his body jolted upwards. He fought for air, trying to breath in, even though his lungs burned with the fire of the Eldin Volcano.

“Link!”, he heard, like through cotton wool, “Are you alright?!”

Link didn’t answer. He just sat there. His head spun around, his body ready to give up any moment. His chest hurt so much. Every beat of his heart was followed with pain he never wanted to feel again.

“Link!”, he heard again, “Please, answer me!”

The first reaction the Skyloftian could muster, was an unfocused glance at the source of the voice. It was a blurry, big shape… brownish… with yellow… Link’s fingers curled around the grass he apparently sat on. Where was he?

“Please, my boy, tell me you’re alright!”

A… claw? Was placed around his shoulders. Link looked at the form again.

_Lanayru!_

The boy opened his mouth but no words left him.

His eyes were drawn to the sky above him. The clouds floated peacefully over his head, interrupting the endless blue.

Link heard Lanayru’s voice again, but he failed to focus on his words.

A smile played at his lips. The claw withdrew from his form. Link threw his upper body back in the grass, pain rushing from his chest through his whole body. He didn’t care.

He just laid there, silence spreading through the Gorge.

Link could see nothing but the sky and the clouds circling the earth underneath.

A giggle spread from his mouth.

Then a laugh.

It became louder by the second.

Soon it was hysterical, tears flowing down his cheeks.

He couldn’t stop.

Link hated it.


End file.
